eNews | March 11, 2025

3/13/2025 eNews
eNews | March 11, 2025

🚨Medicaid Action Alert! 🚨 

NO CUTS TO MEDICAID! 

Any cut to Medicaid will hit state budgets and jeopardize higher ed funding. Congress continues its push to cut over $800B from Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. 

Please take the time today to call into Congress and be heard! 

Call them on the Medicaid Call-In (Toll-Free) Number: 866-426-2631 

Join thousands across the country for today's national Medicaid Saves Lives call-in day to send a clear message: Any cuts to Medicaid will strip healthcare and vital services from millions of people – Vote NO on any cuts to Medicaid.

State Budget Must Fund the CSU!

Right now, anyone with a stake in the state budget is actively reaching out to legislators to make sure their program or services get adequate funding. CSU workers are making our voices heard as well! 
 
Speaking jointly as a Labor Coalition, CSUEU members joined every other labor organization at the CSU to sign a letter, addressing budget committee chairs, to warn that the current 7.95% proposed reduction to the CSU "will have a devastating impact." 
 
Even as we advocate for full CSU funding, we want to make sure there is proper oversight as well, noting in our message that while "faculty and non-faculty staff are experiencing cuts and layoffs, management positions continue to grow, something that must be assessed..." 
 
What else can we do? Send an email to legislators, reminding them that laying off staff jeopardizes our work supporting students. Since we launched the "Fund the CSU" email campaign, more than 2,300 messages have reached legislators. Let's try and double that this week!  

Campuses Fight Back Against Layoffs & Cuts

SSU: Of 16 staff positions slated for layoff, we successfully negotiated for 4 members to keep their jobs, plus three others who were able to retreat back to their previous posts. Weekly campus actions, with faculty, Teamsters, and students have been powerful and effective at holding Sonoma State management accountable. 
 
 
LA: Campus workers rallied in the rare Southern California rain to make our message clear: Layoffs are unnecessary and shortsighted! While no CSUEU members are currently being threatened with layoffs, we united with the other unions to defend jobs on campus. 
 
Cal Poly SLO: Staff has grown by less than 2% while management positions have grown 74% in the last 10 years. We fought back when management told staff to prepare for cuts - and the campus reversed course! "This is a powerful reminder that CSU leaders do listen to our voices, and we can make a difference," said Erin Foote, VP for Organizing. 
 
 
Channel Islands: CSUEU rallied to stop layoffs last week. Jessica Dalton, Chapter President, said: "Our weekly #TogetherTuesday walks unite us in solidarity, standing with our sibling unions as the CSU attempts to mask years of financial mismanagement behind budget shortfalls and enrollment declines. These fear tactics won’t divide us."
 
 

Organizing for a Better Workplace

Resident Assistants Organize

Resident Assistants at CSU filed paperwork with the state labor board to join our union through a unit modification petition. Resident Assistants do valuable work for our campuses and deserve a voice over their working conditions. They keep students living in dorms safe, connected to the campus community, and provide valuable mentorship to all types of students. This work is often unpaid. Since their housing is tied to their work on campus, threats to their job like an unfair dismissal or non-renewal of their contract means they would lose their housing.  
 
 

Workers at ASI Sacramento Stand up to Workplace Abuse

Two weeks ago, ASI Sacramento employee Jason Cortright was suspended from his job for talking to his coworkers about forming a union. CSUEU members mobilized quickly to stop this brazen violation of federal labor law, because an injury to one is an injury to all. 
 
After our members held a rally on campus, Jason has since been invited back to work, where he intends to continue organizing. 
 
In addition, we will continue to monitor ASI after two workers at the ASI Children's Center resigned. An investigation is underway into claims of a manager's racist behavior toward workers. Our union has supported these employees in going public with their stories, and we will never tolerate any workplace abuse or discrimination.  

Upcoming Union Trainings

Organizing to Win Worker Power 
Every Thursday through the end of March, join VP for Organizing Erin Foote along with members of the leadership team and SEIU family for organizing trainings and professional development! Trainings are offered at 12 p.m. & 6 p.m. to accommodate different schedules. 
Upcoming offerings include: 
3/13: Training and Identifying New Leaders (geared towards chapter leaders) 
3/20: NEO Best Practices (new NEO presenters, members of the Organizing Committee and Org Chairs) 
3/27: Union Difference Storytelling Workshop (all members invited!) 
 
 
Developing Worksite Leaders
We will be holding an online steward training March 22. Interested parties can get information and apply using this link. Applications will be accepted through March 17.  
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