10,000 UC-Berkeley Employees Face Pay Cuts Due to Pandemic

Even with these cuts, which will save millions, the school is still facing a $200 million shortfall.

KQED News reports:

10,000 UC Berkeley Employees Face Pay Cuts in Latest Pandemic-Related ReductionsSome 10,000 UC Berkeley staffers can expect to see reductions in pay beginning in February to “confront the pandemic’s significant and persistent impacts on our finances,” according to a statement issued Tuesday from the university’s chancellor.In her message to campus employees, Carol Christ said the university will implement a year-long program of furloughs starting Feb. 1, 2021 for non-unionized staff and faculty. Unionized staff time will also be reduced.Christ said the cuts, which are organized in six tiers according to income levels, are meant to protect the lowest-income workers on campus.”Consistent with our commitment to equity, employees earning less than $59,000 will be exempted, with progressive, graduated reductions up to a top rate of 3.84% for those earning more than $234,000,” Christ said in the statement.The cuts are expected to generate roughly $27 million in savings for the school.The university also recently froze faculty and non-union staff pay, setting aside some $10 million to minimize layoffs, particularly for low-income staff.But Christ said even with those cuts, the university still faces a $200 million shortfall as a result of pandemic-related losses and additional costs. The school, she added, plans to take additional steps to fill that hole by digging further into its reserves and taking out more loans.

Tags: California, College Insurrection, Wuhan Coronavirus

CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY