New Salary Data Released by the UC:

Using Jeffrey Bergamini’s excellent compensation database, we can examine salary information just released by the UC system. Between Jan. 1 2009 and Dec. 31 2009, the total number of employees listed as having regular employment (excluding graduate and undergraduate student workers and other casual employees) went down by 1,180, but the total gross pay for the system went up $257 million. If we include student employees and other “casual employees” into the mix, in 2009 we saw 3,822 fewer jobs. However, the number of people making over $200,000 went up by 200, and the 3,843 people making over 200K had a collective gross pay of $1.088 billion for an increase of $63 million over the previous year.

This initial reading of the compensation information tells us that during the UC “Budget fiscal crisis,” the university did reduce the number of low-wage employees, as well as cut their total compensation, while the number of high earners actually went up. This growing income inequality has now been coupled with a decrease in work for the lowest-paid employees. Moreover, the imposition of the furlough/salary reduction program did not reduce the total budget; instead it shifted wealth to the wealthiest.