The University of California has reached tentative contract agreements with two unions representing some 10,000 lecturers, professionals and technical employees, officials announced Thursday.

UC had been negotiating with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which represents about 1,600 UC lecturers, since the spring of 2000. The dispute involved both wages and job security.

Under the agreement, lecturers will receive a 3 to 4 percent salary increase for the 2000-01 school year, a 0.5 percent increase for 2001-02 and no increase for 2002-03, said UC spokesman Paul Schwartz. Both sides still have to negotiate future wage increases for next year, he said.

The new contract will also grant continuing, careerlike status for lecturers who have been teaching for six or more years, Schwartz said.

UC had been negotiating with the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union, which represents about 8,400 employees, for about one year.

The biggest sticking point had been UPTE's demand that laid-off employees receive both severance pay and preferential rehire treatment. UC had been offering employees a choice of one or the other.

Under a compromise agreement, laid-off employees will be able to choose either a full severance package in lieu of preferential rehire rights, or a combination package containing less than full severance pay and limited rehire rights.

The new contract will also convert all the union's employees to a pay structure that offers more predictable wage increases, something that union president and chief negotiator Jelger Kalmijn said will reduce the high turnover rate among UC researchers.

"It's a major victory for us. We got a good agreement in bad times," Kalmijn said.

UC and the unions must approve the tentative contracts, and then UC will pay the retroactive salary increases. The AFT contract will run through June 30, 2006, while the UPTE contract will run through Sept. 30, 2004.