More Bargaining News

As we have noted previously, the powers-that-be at UCOP have taken a more proactive approach to collective bargaining and union-management affairs since the strike of student workers a few years back. (We could see another such strike in the not-so-distant future.) But there are other unions also engaged in bargaining and UC's approach now is to control the narrative. So, UC issued the news release below last week:

UC, Teamsters Local 2010 Extend Contract as Bargaining Progress Continues

As a positive sign of collaborative, good-faith bargaining, the University of California and Teamsters Local 2010 have reached a contract extension agreement. The contract for the union, which represents 18,820 clerical and allied services employees across the UC system, will now expire May 30, 2026.

“These additional two months of bargaining allow us to build on the constructive progress already made and continue working together toward a fair agreement that reflects the contributions of our clerical and allied services employees,” said Missy Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Employee and Labor Relations. “We appreciate the collaborative spirit shown by Teamsters Local 2010 and remain committed to reaching a contract that supports our workforce and the important work happening across the UC system.”

The extension comes as UC continues good-faith negotiations with five of the nine systemwide unions, including the United Auto Workers (UAW), the Committee of Interns and Residents–Service Employees International Union (CIR-SEIU), the Federated University Police Officers’ Association (FUPOA), the American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Since bargaining began in September, UC and Teamsters have exchanged 109 proposals and reached tentative agreements on 30 articles. The parties will continue negotiations on March 17.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-teamsters-local-2010-extend-contract-bargaining-progress-continues.

Straws in the Wind - Part 277

From the Nebraska Examiner: Some University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty are looking to make history again next month by seeking “no-confidence” votes, this time targeting three top administrators they describe as “architects” of recent budget cuts at UNL. In a draft motion and resolutions shared Tuesday morning with the Nebraska Examiner, faculty are proceeding with plans to effectively impeach Mark Button, UNL’s executive vice chancellor; Tiffany Heng-Moss, newly named vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Jennifer Nelson, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation.

“The architects of the program eliminations must be held accountable so the UNL community can move forward,” said Susan VanderPlas, a statistics professor and member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.

In November, as then-UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett pursued $27.5 million in budget cuts, the UNL Faculty Senate passed UNL’s first-ever no-confidence vote, 60-14. Bennett abruptly resigned in January, leaving with a $1.1 million buyout...

Full story at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/03/03/unl-faculty-to-introduce-no-confidence-resolutions-against-three-more-administrators/. 

Will Harvard Continue to Lead the Charge? - Part 130

From the Harvard Crimson: In [an] email announcing the decision to employees, [Alumni Affairs and Development] Vice President James J. “Jim” Husson said [55]  layoffs followed continued budgetary strain and came after earlier cost-cutting efforts, including a pause on merit-based wage increases and limits on hiring. The email, which was obtained by The Crimson, did not rule out further layoffs. “We could not meet our budget reduction goals without reducing positions,” Husson wrote in the email. “With our new organizational structure now in place, and with input from the managers who will lead these teams going forward, we have made difficult but necessary decisions to ensure AA&D’s sustainability.”

Harvard Alumni Association spokesperson Cameron Wolfsen declined to comment on the layoffs... The AA&D layoffs are the latest in a series of austerity measures as Harvard prepares for a potential increase to the federal tax on large university endowments, which could cost the University upwards of $200 million annually...

Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/3/4/alumni-development-layoffs/.

Murphy Hall responds to Senate

Source: https://dms.senate.ucla.edu/issues/issue/?10796.Resolution.on.Shared.Governance.Senate.Consultation.and.Administrative.Accountability or https://ia903207.us.archive.org/35/items/ucla-budget-book-v-final-feb-2026/UCLA%20Response%20of%20Administration%20to%20Senate%20Concerns%20About%20Budget%20%26%20Other%20Matters%203-6-2026.pdf.

A summary: The administration doesn't think there has been a lapse of shared governance about the budget or other matters. It asks for a working definition of what would constitute shared governance. And it refers to its inclusion of Senate reps in a new budget committee. Finally, it refers to an upcoming meeting of the Legislative Assembly on April 2 for further discussion.

March Regents Meetings at UC-San Francisco

The preliminary agenda for the March meetings of the Regents is now available. The earlier schedule included March 19 as a third day, but the agenda indicates only the 17th and 18th.

Agenda: March 17-18, 2026, UC-San Francisco

==

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

--

10:30 am Investments Committee (open session- includes public comment session) 

Public Comment Period (30 minutes)

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of November 19, 2025

I1 Discussion: Investment Performance as of December 31, 2025 (Fiscal Year 2025–26) 

--

1:00 pm Health Services Committee (open session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 20, 2026

Information: Pivotal State Policy Challenges for 2026 and Beyond 

--

Upon end of open session:

Health Services Committee (closed session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 20, 2026

H3(X)2 Discussion: UC Health Litigation Update

--

2:40 pm Board (open session) 

Remarks of the Chair of the Board

Remarks of the President of the University

Remarks of the Chair of the Academic Senate

Resolutions

B1 Discussion: UC Inspires: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Proof of Concept Funding Showcase 

B2 Action: East Campus Medical Center Seismic Improvements and Renewal, San Diego Campus: Budget, Scope, External Financing and Design Following an Exemption Determination Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act 

--

4:05 pm Board (closed session) 

B3(X) Action: Acquisition of Health Care Assets, Los Angeles Campus

B4(X) Action: Proposed Medical Separation of a Faculty Member, Los Angeles Campus 

==

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

--

8:30 am Board (open session - includes public comment session) 

Public Comment Period (30 minutes)

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of November 19, 2025 and January 20 and 21, 2026

Remarks from Student Associations

B5 Discussion: University of California Basic Needs Annual Report, 2024–25

--

9:45 am Board (closed session) 

B6(X) Discussion: External Funding Litigation and Legal Issues

--

10:45 am Governance Committee (closed session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 20, 2026

G1(X) Discussion: Collective Bargaining Matters

G2(X) Discussion: Market-Based Salary Adjustment for Deputy Laboratory Director for Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

--

Upon end of closed session:

Governance Committee (open session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 20, 2026

G2 Action: Approval of Market-Based Salary Adjustment for Deputy Laboratory Director for Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as Discussed in Closed Session

--

11:45 am Finance and Capital Strategies Committee (closed session)

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of September 17, 2025 and the Joint Meeting of the Health Services Committee and the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee of November 20, 2025

F1(X) Action: Canyon Springs Health Campus Site, Riverside Campus: Business Terms of Option to Ground Lease and Purchase

-- 

Upon end of closed session:

Finance and Capital Strategies Committee (open session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 21, 2026

F2 Action: Consent Item: Big Shift Project #2, Davis Campus: Amendment of Budget, Scope, External Financing, Long Range Development Plan Amendment #3, and Design Following Consideration of an Addendum to the UC Davis Campus 2018 Long Range Development Plan Environmental Impact Report Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act 

F3 Action: 5210 Pacific Concourse Drive Tenant Improvements, UCLA Health, Los Angeles Campus: Budget, Scope, External Financing, and Design Following Adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act

NOTE: This building is a property bought by UC Health for $55 million to become a sports medicine facility. Source: https://labusinessjournal.com/real-estate/ucla-makes-55-million-buy-in-the-south-bay/.

F4 Action: 901 Levering Student Housing, Los Angeles Campus: Budget, Scope, External Financing, and Design Following Adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act 

--

1:30 pm Academic and Student Affairs Committee (open session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 21, 2026

A1 Action: Approval of Multi-Year Plans for Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) Increases for Four Graduate Professional Degree Programs

--

2:05 pm Compliance and Audit Committee (open session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of November 20, 2025

C1 Action: Amendment of Internal Audit Charter

C2 Action: External Audit Plan for the Year Ending June 30, 2026

--

Upon end of open session:

Compliance and Audit Committee (closed session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 20, 2026

C3(X) Action: Recommended Settlements for Board Action 

Various medical cases proposed for settlement

C4(X) Discussion Appellate, Trial Court Developments and Updates

Various cases including CITY OF PASADENA, et al. v. REGENTS, et al. (Rose Bowl cases involving UCLA), DO NO HARM, et al. v. REGENTS, et al.; STUDENTS AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION v. REGENTS, et al.; ZHONG, et al. v. REGENTS, et al. (Reverse discrimination in admissions), DOES v. REGENTS, et al. (Heaps sexual abuse cases from UCLA), FEDERAL FUNDING LITIGATION (conflict with the federal govt.), PROTEST-RELATED CASES, and others.

C5(X) Discussion: Data and Trends in Professional Liability Settlements 

C6(X) Information: Settlements and Separation Agreements under Delegated Authority Reported from December 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026

--

3:40 pm Board (closed session) 

Action: Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of January 21, 2026

Committee Reports Including Approval of Recommendations from Committees:

- Compliance and Audit Committee

- Finance and Capital Strategies Committee

- Governance Committee

- Health Services Committee

Officers’ and President’s Reports:

- Personnel Matters

- Report of Materials Mailed Between Meetings

==

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/agendas/march26.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 276

From the LA Times: The University of Texas System’s Board of Regents has unanimously approved a rule requiring its universities to ensure students can graduate without studying “unnecessary controversial subjects,” despite warnings it could leave them less prepared for the real world. The rule also requires faculty to disclose in their syllabi the topics they plan to cover and adhere to the plan, and says that when courses include controversial issues, instructors must ensure a “broad and balanced approach” to the discussion.

The policy... does not define what qualifies as “controversial” or what constitutes a “broad and balanced approach.” Opponents warned that leaving those terms undefined would force administrators to interpret them case by case, pressuring professors to avoid difficult material rather than risk complaints.

...Board Chair Kevin Eltife said the lack of specificity came as the system tried to craft a policy that could work in today’s politically charged environment. “We are in difficult times,” he said. “Vagueness can be our friend.” ...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-03-03/university-of-texas-regents-approve-limits-on-teaching-unnecessarily-controversial-subjects.

===

From the Yale Daily News: A newly established Committee on the Principles of Academic Freedom — comprising nine faculty members — will review the “historical, legal, and ethical foundations of academic freedom” over the coming months, a... statement on Yale provost’s office website said. The office of University Provost Scott Strobel announced the new committee on its website without an email to the broader Yale community, saying that the committee will release a statement on “the principles that guide the academic freedom of Yale faculty” by the end of the 2026 calendar year, alongside a summary report.

“Despite the phrase ‘academic freedom’ being invoked frequently, we have not as a community of faculty had a chance to dive deeply into how this phrase is understood and to what end,” incoming committee chair Gregory Huber, a political science professor, wrote in [an] email to the News...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/provost-forms-faculty-committee-to-write-academic-freedom-statement.

Now Two Months at a Time

As blog readers will know, we like to keep track of Gov. Newsom and have been collecting videos on his doings, and related matters, on a quarterly basis. But lately, his seeming campaign for president has become so intense - with soundbites from interviews, podcasts, etc. - that we have gone to a bimonthly basis.

You can find the January-February 2026 collection at:

https://archive.org/details/newsom-1-1-2026-new-year

And we are collecting March-April 2026 at:

https://archive.org/details/newsom-03-04-2026

Lots of statements, some controversial, some promotional, but not much about UC. He will occasionally say things such as California has the best public higher ed system. But it is what it is. We can expect the governor's gaze to continue to wander from California and UC to the national scene where he has to overcome the problem that he brings no electoral votes to the table. California will vote for the Democrat regardless of who the nominee is, barring some very unlikely circumstance.