UCI Hospital Officials’ Raises Protested

Rank-and-file UC Irvine employees announced Monday that they intend to picket the UCI Medical Center here on Wednesday to protest raises for hospital administrators when other UC employees are being laid off.

The protest is aimed at the UC Board of Regents, which on Nov. 19 voted 13 to 5 to increase salaries of some UC hospital administrators by an average of 21% over the next two years. The regents’ voting majority said the pay hike is justified because UC hospital administrators are underpaid compared to administrators at other hospitals.

But critics blasted the pay raise, noting that it comes while the UC system has been laying off some employees and denying pay increases to others.

“Our employees are struggling to keep their jobs, put food on the table and pay rent and child care on less income, while the administrators, who already earn between $150,000 and $200,000 a year, are receiving enormous pay raises,” said Karen Taber, president of the UCI clerical unit of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The protest is being coordinated by that union and others representing UCI employees. The informational picketing is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the union officials said.