The UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan became effective Oct. 1, 2015. It is important to note that the plan applies not only to UC personnel, but also to contractors/vendors doing business with and providing services to UC. The UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan also provides measures to ensure contractor compliance including a dedicated telephone hotline (1-855-WAGES-UC) and webpage by which contract workers may report complaints directly to the Office of the President.
As the first university in the country to voluntarily set a minimum wage, compliance with this requirement will be scrutinized carefully. To ensure compliance, effective immediately it is imperative that UC ANR personnel do not allow contractors and/or vendors to perform work or provide services to UC ANR unless and until a properly authorized UC agreement is in place. (Common types of UC ANR work or services that are subject to the Fair Wage policy include repair services, farm labor contractor services, agricultural services, construction services, etc.)
UC policy has always required that an authorized UC purchase order (or other appropriate form of contract) be executed before work begins. With the implementation of the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan, however, it is critical that UC ANR obtain services only from firms that will execute a contract guaranteeing payment of the plan's minimum wage, as described in UC's factsheet. Accordingly, the vendor's willingness to do this must be confirmed prior to the start of work.
Allowing work to proceed before an appropriately authorized UC purchase order is issued will be considered a breach of UC policy (an unauthorized purchase), and is very likely to trigger new/additional administrative requirements, cause delay and impede payment to the vendor.
The following UC ANR administrative staff members are available to assist you with this and related matters:
UC ANR Location |
Contact Name |
Phone Number and Email Address |
County-based Cooperative Extension Offices |
Emily Melton Casado, BOC-K Emily LaRue, BOC-K |
559-646-6537 559-646-6079 |
Research and Extension Centers |
Debra Driskill, REC AO |
760-356-3061 |
Statewide Programs & |
Sally Harmsworth, BOC-D Zach Watkins, BOC-D |
530-750-1372 530-750-1295 |
UC ANR Oakland |
Sonia Scott, AVP-BO |
510-987-0084 |
Additional information is available at
- UC president announces $15/Hour Minimum Wage
- UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan Implementation Guide
- UC Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-43, Materiel Management
Thank you very much for your attention to and compliance with this new University of California policy.
Catherine Montano
Director, Administrative Policies & Business Contracts
UC Office of the President recently announced the implementation of a new minimum wage policy for UC employees. All appointment types, 50 percent or more, are eligible with the exception of Student titles. No UC ANR employees will be affected this fiscal year by the policy, however new vendor contracts will be affected and ANR will need to ensure compliance. The policy is effective on Oct. 1, 2015, and is described below. If you have specific questions regarding the policy or how it will affect the employees in your unit, please contact UC ANR Human Resources.
John Fox
Executive Director, UC ANR Human Resources
jsafox@ucanr.edu
Linda Marie Manton
Executive Director, UC ANR Human Resources Staff Personnel
lmmanton@ucanr.edu
New hourly minimum wage policy
UC will increase the minimum wage for employees, including contract workers, on Thursday, Oct. 1, the first stage of a three-year plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2017.
Under the new UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan, all employees hired to work at least 20 hours a week will be paid a minimum of $13 an hour starting Thursday, Oct. 1. That minimum will increase to $14 an hour on Oct. 1, 2016, and to $15 an hour on Oct. 1, 2017.
Contractors and subcontractors working on UC projects will be required to comply with the new policy.
UC is the first university in the country to voluntarily set a $15 minimum wage. The new rate will be higher than California's minimum wage, which is currently $9 an hour and will increase to $10 an hour on Jan. 1, 2016.
President Janet Napolitano announced the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan in July to support employees and their families, and to ensure that workers being paid through a UC contract are likewise fairly compensated.
“Supporting the employees — and their families — who help make UC a leading institution is an important part of our values as a public university,” President Napolitano said.
The new minimum wage is being implemented over three years to give campuses time to plan and budget for the cost increase. The bulk of the cost will be funded by non-core funds, such as sales from self-supporting programs like bookstores and food services. These are separate from tuition and fees, state resources and other core funds that support UC's core instructional programs.
As UC enters into new contracts or renews existing ones, the university will require contractors and subcontractors to pay their employees a wage that meets or exceeds UC's new minimum wage.
In addition, UC will enhance its oversight of contractors and subcontractors for wages and working conditions. This includes creation of a telephone hotline and online reporting system, both now in place, that contract workers can use to report complaints and issues directly to the Office of the President.
It also will include annual and interim audits of contractors to ensure they pay employees UC's minimum wage or better, and that they meet all local, state, federal and UC laws. Annual audits will be funded by the contractors, and implemented as new contracts are established and existing ones are renewed.
Learn more about the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work plan and read frequently asked questions.