UC Surveys Employees about Pension, Retiree Health Benefits
UCSF faculty, staff and retirees are invited to share their views about UC pension and retiree benefits by taking a short, confidential, online survey.
The Future of UC Retirement Benefits website is seeking input from employees and retirees now until March 1 via a survey that will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
The feedback generated will help the UC President’s Task Force on Post-Employment Benefits better understand employee preferences about financially sustainable options for future retirement benefits. Members of the task force will consider the survey results as they think about potential funding and design changes for UC’s retirement benefits. The task force will present its recommendations to UC President Mark G. Yudof this summer.
Yudof established the task force early in 2008 and directed it to study and make recommendations for preserving UC’s competitive benefits while ensuring that pension and retiree medical benefits for current and future retirees become financially sustainable.
As part of its consultation and communication with the University community, the task force conducted more than 30 local forums last fall to present information on UC’s growing liabilities related to pensions and retiree health care benefits and to listen to the concerns of faculty, staff and retirees.
UC and the unions are currently discussing how represented employees might participate in the survey. In the meantime, represented faculty and staff should direct their comments and opinions to their union leadership.
The independent consulting firm Towers Watson in partnership with UC Human Resources developed the survey. Towers Watson is hosting the online survey and will compile the results for UC.
Some faculty and policy-covered staff will be randomly selected to voluntarily complete a more in-depth survey about their workforce behavior and preferences. The longer survey also will help the task force determine whether different segments of the UC workforce have different views and preferences regarding post-employment benefits. Those who receive an invitation to participate should complete the survey so that the task force can get statistically valid results.
The task force will share survey results with faculty, staff and retirees when the analysis is completed, which is expected to be in time for a new round of forums planned for April at all UC locations.
Those who experience technical difficulties in completing the survey should contact Koki Mori of Towers Watson at 703/258-7436 or send an email. Those with questions about the content of the survey can submit them via the Future of UC Retirement Benefits website.