Unit 15 Bargaining Update: Oct. 18, 2024

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:33:50 GMT

What Is Bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process where workers (Student Assistants) negotiate with an employer (the CSU) to improve working conditions like wages and benefits. Representatives of both sides meet together to negotiate a legally-binding contract, one that improves the job experience for workers.

When the representatives, or bargaining team, believe they have reached a good place in negotiations, they will present the tentative agreement to the broader membership for a ratification vote. Every CSUEU student worker member will be able to vote to approve or reject the contract.

Brief History
After we won our union election in February 2024, a team of student assistants began sitting down with CSU management to begin bargaining for our first contract. Starting during the summer, our bargaining team of 9 student assistants and the CSUEU lead negotiator began meeting regularly with CSU management.

In bargaining sessions, both sides introduce proposals for the other side to consider. Sometimes these proposals are economic (related to wages/benefits), and sometimes they are policies governing our working conditions (e.g. not being able to fire workers without a valid reason). Read our opening proposal and the CSU's proposal.

Our proposals are based on surveys we conducted about the issues that matter most to student workers. These are: better pay, paid sick time, parking discounts, and holiday pay. We also made proposals for union rights, job security, and general improvements in our working conditions.

Progress So Far (as of October 2024)
We’ve secured:
+ Grievance procedure (to protect workers from unfair discipline)
+ Bereavement leave (2 paid, 3 unpaid bereavement days)
+ Standardized evaluation processes
+ Some amount of paid sick time

CSU agreed that they will stop introducing new proposals and that we now have the entire universe of discussion items on the table. This is important because we can now bargain without worrying that Management will introduce new topics and distract us from our priorities of securing better wages and parking discounts.

Next Bargaining: Nov. 1
We agreed to meet on Nov. 1 at CSU Dominguez Hills for a hybrid in-person and virtual session. Management rejected our proposal earlier this year to live-stream bargaining meetings on Zoom. We are now requesting to have viewing rooms at multiple CSU campuses so that workers can view the Nov. 1 bargaining for maximum transparency. Management is considering our proposal.

What Can You Do To Help?

Our bargaining team needs the support of every Student Assistant to win the changes we want at work. The best way that you can support our bargaining team is by activating your CSUEU members. You can activate your membership by following this link.

CA State Budget: What Student Assistants Should Know

Wed, 15 May 2024 14:31:23 GMT

CA Budget: Q & A for CSUEU Unit 15 Student Assistants

Q. What is a state budget?
A. A state budget is the government spending plan for the year. It provides funding for vital public services such as child care, health care, housing, transportation, K-12 schools, colleges, and much more. Some consider it a "moral document," because it lays out the priorities that we as a society want to invest in.

Q. What is the "May Revise" and how does it affect the CSU?
A. Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget plan came out Friday (May 10) and is an updated - or "revised" version of the initial January budget proposal. The May Revise reflects declining state revenues, which are heavily dependent on stock market earnings. However, there is no immediate impact on the CSU. More details are still to come.

Q. I keep hearing about the "CSU Compact." What is it and how is it affected by the budget?
A. The Governor made a compact with the CSU and the UC in 2022, guaranteeing 5 percent funding increases each year for five years for both institutions. In exchange, the university systems agreed to increase in-state admissions and meet other goals. The expectation is that both the state and the CSU will honor their compact commitments (which include staff compensation and raises) this year.

Anticipating a budget shortfall, the Governor and Legislature made adjustments in April - netting the state $17.3 billion, which came from program cuts and funding delays. One delay tactic included deferring payment of the CSU compact increase of $240 million for a year.

The compact is still in place and CSUEU-represented Staff expect to see a 5% general increase on July 1, 2024, as negotiated in the union contract. The state budget itself must be voted on and passed by both the state Assembly, Senate and then signed by the Governor.

Q. Are we changing our bargaining strategy or demands?
A. No and No. We have taken the first step of negotiations by exchanging opening "Sunshine" proposals." See proposals from CSUEU and the CSU.
The time of exploiting student work as less than real work is over. We expect fairer wages and better benefits that reflect the important services we provide our CSU communities.

Q. I hear some campuses have a "hiring chill/freeze" or early exits for Staff?
The Chancellor’s Office produces a campus allocation budget memo each year. This memo shows what the campus receives from the CSU system.
Some campuses are seeing enrollment challenges, so that could impact what they receive in the allocation memo.

When a campus makes any material decision, the CSU is obligated to notify the union so that we can bargain over the issue, known as “Meet and Confer.”
CSUEU will continue advocating for the CSU to honor its commitments to employees. Working with allies in the State Capitol as well as with CSU and campus leaders, we must come together to resolve the revenue shortfall at the state level.

Q. What's next in the budget process?
A. Expect to see continuing negotiations among legislators and stakeholders in Sacramento. The Legislature has until June 15 to adopt a budget. CSU staff and students are the engine of California’s economy; we call on the Governor and Legislature to keep campuses operating at the highest possible level.

Breaking News

Unit 15 Bargaining Update: Oct. 18, 2024

CA State Budget: What Student Assistants Should Know