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Union Celebrates Retirement of Labor Representative Brenda Brown

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:09:35 GMT

Brenda Brown has worked in the labor movement for nearly 40 years. She’s heard all the jokes from younger workers, such as, “Did you have phones when you first started organizing?”

Yes, she did. Brenda grew up in the era of “landline” phones when there was an all-knowing "Operator" you could reach by pressing "O."

As a Eligibility Worker in LA County, Brenda got a taste of the union world when she signed up to become a Steward with the Local now known as SEIU 721. She then got a job as a labor representative there.

“I've never been afraid to speak out against injustice. Standing up for what's right has always come naturally to me,” she said. “A union representative told me I had leadership qualities and encouraged me not just to be a union member, but to become a Steward which gave me the chance to advocate for others in an official role.”

Brenda found her way to CSUEU in 2001 working as a labor representative, eventually serving as lead and unofficial Team Mom to HQ staff and union members who called her, "BB." Over two decades-plus, many came and went but Brenda remained, the glue and encyclopedia of all things CSUEU. Assigned to support the Bargaining Team, Brenda helped work on the last two contract negotiations that won historic salary increases for members.

Tessy Reese, Chair for Bargaining Unit 2, called Brenda a friend, mentor, and sister.

"I know many of us are better Stewards because of Brenda and will forever be grateful for her patience. Many of us still reach out to her to ask for advice and know she will gladly be there for us with her experience and knowledge," said Tessy. "When necessary, she would bring out her "No mess with me" attitude and helped our Union win many grievances and arbitrations. Brenda will be part of many of our lives even as she relaxes and enjoys her well-deserved retirement. BB is family now to many of us in CSUEU."

The CSUEU Board of Directors honored Brenda’s distinguished 25-year union service with a retirement celebration at their February meeting.

“When you spend nearly 40 years in an industry and 25 of those years with one organization, you do not just build a career, you build a life and a collection of memories that stay with you long after the workdays end,” Brenda said in her speech to the union leaders.

“I trained more Stewards than I can count, and while I may not remember every name, I know I contributed to building a strong foundation of leaders who continue to serve CSUEU today.”

Q&A: IN HER OWN WORDS

What was most fun about your work?
The most fun part of my work was training members to become stewards, spending time on campuses recruiting non-members, and preparing members to take concerted action when the moment called for it.

What message do you have for the next generation of labor advocates?
I would tell the next generation of labor advocates to never compromise their values, to lead with integrity, to listen to the workers first, and to identify and mentor new leaders so the labor movement can continue to grow and move forward long after we're gone.

What’s next?
I hope to slow down a little, breathe a little deeper, and enjoy the parts of life that work sometimes pushed to the side. I am excited for what is ahead, but I will always carry this place, this union, and all of you, with me.

Union Rally Rocks Cal Poly Pomona to Support Bargaining Team

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:45:10 GMT

CSUEU members threw an energizing pep rally at Cal Poly Pomona to send our Bargaining Team in for another round of negotiations on Thursday (Aug. 3).
Support for the Bargaining Team wasn't limited to just union members. State Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and Pomona Councilman Robert Torres showed up in solidarity to help us turn on the heat in our fight for equitable salary steps.

Following the rally, more than a dozen members packed into the bargaining room to observe the negotiations in real time.

Highlights from the proposal the Bargaining Team presented to the CSU:

2023 General Salary Increase of 7%
Full retroactive pay to July 2023
Step placement will correspond to length of service in one’s series rather than classification and will transfer from campus to campus.
Step advancement will not be contingent on a satisfactory evaluation
In Year 3, each employee shall advance one step at 3%

The next bargaining session is set for Aug. 30 at CSU Northridge, with additional bargaining sessions scheduled for September and October.

We're finally making real progress towards securing a salary steps structure - but we're not at the finish line yet. We need to keep up the pressure on the CSU by showing strong union visibility and solidarity ... like holding big blue rallies!

If you are not yet a member, now is the time to JOIN CSUEU! Already a member? Talk to your co-workers who are not yet members and sign them up!

"Our collective labor powers the University. Our collective work helps students succeed and meet their graduation goals. And during this contract negotiations, we demand equitable salary reform." - CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson

"I am calling on each one of you to join us in taking a stand for equity and fairness. Let us unite as one and rally for our rights and win crucial issues including equity concerns, understaffing, excessive workload, and most importantly, the restoration of our Salary Steps." - CSUEU Cal Poly Pomona Chapter President Hector Maciel

Dues Ballot_Spanish

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:04:44 GMT

Las cuotas son los únicos recursos de una unión y es una inversión en nosotros mismos y en nuestro futuro. Para acumular los recursos para ganar en 2023, los miembros de CSUEU votarán para ajustar nuestra tasa de cuotas del 1% actual al 1.2%.

La Junta Directiva de CSUEU aprobó el año pasado un plan de 5 puntos “Camino al Poder” con la meta de asegurar una estructura de Pasos Salariales para nuestros 15,000 miembros. Para ganar, necesitamos recursos adicionales.

Los miembros de CSUEU contribuyen actualmente con el 1% en cuotas de la unión deducidas de nuestros cheques de pago, que es la tasa de cuotas más baja de cualquier local del sector público de SEIU, o de cualquier otra unión en la CSU. Votando SÍ, podemos mejorar la representación del campus contratando más Representantes de Relaciones Laborales (LRRs), añadiendo un Director Político para impulsar el activismo político en el campus y mejorando nuestra preparación para las huelgas.

Éste es un ejemplo del cambio propuesto en las cuotas: Para una persona que gane $50,000 al año, la cuota mensual aumentaría de $41.67 al mes a $50.

Consulta el ajuste de tus cuotas haciendo clic en la calculadora en línea:
https://csueu.org/join/dues-calculator-update

¿Apruebas el ajuste de la cuota del 1% al 1.2%?

• Sí, apruebo el ajuste propuesto y estoy de acuerdo en que necesitamos reunir los recursos para ganar a través de invertir en nosotros mismos y en nuestro futuro.

• No, no estoy de acuerdo en que necesitamos más recursos para preparar a los miembros de CSUEU para el éxito a largo plazo.

Para votar, haga clic en el enlace que recibió por mensaje de texto o correo electrónico.

Dues Ballot_Chinese

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:00:59 GMT

会员的会费是工会唯一的资源，是对我们自己和我们的未来的投资。为积聚资源，务求在2023年取胜，CSUEU成员现在正投票决定，是否应该将我们的会费率从目前的1%，调整为1.2%。

去年，CSUEU 董事会批准了一项 5 点“通往胜利之路”（ “Path to Power”）计划，目标是要为我们的 15,000 名会员，确保有稳定的薪酬阶梯结构。而为了获得成功，我们需要额外的资源。

CSUEU 会员目前从我们的薪水中，扣除 1% 作为工会会费，这是当地任何 SEIU 公共部门，或 CSU 任何其他工会的最低会费率。如果投赞成票，我们就可以通过雇用更多的劳资关系代表 (LRR) 来改善校园代表性，以及增加一名政治主任来提升校园政治活跃度，还有就是提高我们的进行罢工的能力。

以下是提议的会费费率变化的示例：对于年收入 5 万美元的人，每月会费将从每月 41.67 美元，增加到 50 美元。

单击以下的在线计算器，查看您的会费调整情况：

https://csueu.org/join/dues-calculator-update

您是否赞成将会员会费率从 1% 调整为 1.2%？

• 是的，我赞成提议的调整，并同意我们需要积累资源，通过投资于我们自己和我们的未来，以获得胜利。

• 不，我不同意我们需要更多资源，来帮助 CSUEU 会员取得长期成功。

要投票，请单击您通过短信或电子邮件收到的链接

Sample email to Student Assistants

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 11:21:03 GMT

Hi [Name],

I hear Student Assistants are building a union with CSUEU and I am proud to support your efforts. Right now students are working to collect enough union authorization cards to file for a union election. If you have not signed your card yet, you can sign right now with the link below.

Signing the card is your commitment to support building a union with your co-workers and to vote yes in the union election. I hope you will do both!

Here is the link [LINK - USE CUSTOM LINK FROM EMAIL]. Feel free to share it with your colleagues too. Let me know how I can support your work to build the union.

New State Bill Forces the CSU to Fix Broken Salary System

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 13:09:00 GMT

Describing the CSU’s salary system as broken, State Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) has introduced legislation to restore 5% salary steps for 20,000 California State University support staff.

SB 566, called the S.T.E.P.S Act (Steps to Economic Parity in Salaries), “would rectify a long history of salary inequities,” according to the fact sheet accompanying the bill, which is sponsored by our Union.

Read the letter Sen. Leyva wrote to the CSU:

“It is my hope—and urging—that, under your leadership, a new commitment will take place to negotiate an outcome that ensures all CSU support staff are shown the dignity and respect they deserve. I am hopeful that a fair and equitable resolution can be agreed to between the CSU administration and these affected workers.”

If nothing else, this past year has shown that frontline CSU support staff are the backbone of the institution, allowing it to continue providing quality education to students throughout a deadly pandemic. It’s time to recognize and reward our contributions and sacrifice by making university salaries equitable for support staff, many of whom are among the lowest-paid in the University system such as custodians and groundskeepers.

"The time is now, the CSU must act to repair an unequitable system," said CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson. "We have seen overwhelming bipartisan support from the state Legislature to fix the broken salary system. We hope the new chancellor will show leadership and do what is needed to lift up the frontline support staff of the CSU."

Background
The CSU has a salary structure damaged since the 1990s. Employees’ pay is frozen after hire in the lower ranks of their pay scales with no career movement. Employees can work for decades without even reaching the middle of the pay scale because of the absence of service steps. This creates a system where newly-hired employees earn more than their long-term colleagues, while working side-by-side doing the same job at the same CSU campus.

Here's the Fact Sheet on SB 566 and our press release.

State Law: New Employees Must Have a Chance to Meet Union Representative

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:51:37 GMT

Attention all new CSU employees! Have you been properly “onboarded”?

The Public Sector Employee Orientation Law, passed in 2017, requires public employers to provide union representatives access to new employees during their orientations. Assembly Bill 119 defines employee orientation as the onboarding process, which can happen in person, online or through other means. During the new employee orientation (NEO), new or recently hired employees learn about employment status, rights, benefits, duties and responsibilities, or any other employment-related matters.

CSU Employees Union and other unions have negotiated the particulars so new staff will learn about labor representation on their first day. Read the full NEO agreement here.

Our NEO Agreement provides for a 30-minute presentation by union stewards during employee orientation. Campus Human Resources sends our Union lists of employees as they are hired, including names, classifications, departments, and contact information. CSUEU meets the new staff as a group and sometimes later in individual conversations. Union information is also included in appointment letters and on the campus website.

The most recent poll (Gallup, August 2019) shows 64% of Americans approve of labor unions, the most favorable public perception in 50 years. We know that if union members reach out for face-to-face conversations with new employees who are not yet members, we can lift up our voices for better working conditions. Without that first contact, employees could go for months without being aware of our Union, our union contract, or the benefits of union representation.

It is vitally important that our new coworkers join us as union members. We are only as strong as our unified membership. Join or renew with CSUEU today! www.csueu.org