Teamsters to Trustees: We Deserve Fair Raises for Our Essential Work!

CSU Again Proposes Inadequate Pay for Our Essential Work

Following Teamsters Skilled Trades picket actions at CSU Northridge and San Diego State during Chancellor Castro’s campus visits and a statewide sticker day, CSU provided its second proposal Jan. 18 on our wage reopener for fiscal years 2020/21 and 2021/22.

While the CSU increased its offer from a 3% raise retroactive to July 1, 2021 to a 4% raise, this movement is still inadequate and disrespectful given the continued absence of a raise for 2020/21 when we continued coming in to work despite the campus closures.

Fourteen Teamsters members took our message directly to the Trustees, Chancellor Castro, and the campus presidents during public comment Jan. 25. It’s up to all of us to come together as Teamsters and tell CSU that they we’re not going to accept anything less than fair pay for our work during this pandemic.

The CSU must show you care for and understand your workers by keeping up with the cost of living here in California. Otherwise, be prepared to watch us unify and leave you with a campus to fix yourselves

The CSU’s proposal of a single 4% raise over two years fails to account for the increase in the cost of living since our last raise, which is significantly greater than 4% given the recent rapid growth in inflation. We need to continue to take action across the state to tell the CSU that our essential work deserves fair pay. CSU’s essential heroes deserve more than a zero in 2020.

Real appreciation is a Teamster contract with fair pay and benefits for the hard work and sacrifice that our members have made. We’re heroes, not zeroes. We demand that CSU come back to the table with a fair offer for the work that our members provide.

CSU COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Policy Negotiations

Teamsters Local 2010 met with CSU management Jan. 26 to discuss the Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. The CSU wants to add language to the policy that includes requiring vaccine booster shots now and into the future. Our Union is concerned that the policy update as proposed could give CSU an unlimited right to require COVID-19 vaccinations indefinitely without any input from workers.

Our Union is reviewing the policy to ensure that it closely follows The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. The next meeting is Monday, Jan. 31, followed by our next re-opener bargaining session on Feb. 7.

All other previously approved provisions of the Interim COVID-19 Vaccine Policy will remain in effect. The medical and religious exemption are options still available to anyone who does not wish to get the booster. Masking, social distancing and other coronavirus safety guidelines will remain in effect as recommended by the CDC, County health agencies and campus management.

Two More Weeks of COVID-19 Leave Expected

Governor Newsom announced yesterday that he and state legislative leadership have reached an agreement to provide up to two weeks of additional paid sick leave for most California workers, effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2022. A bill containing these details is expected to be passed by the legislature on a fast track and sent to the Governor as part of an early budget action within the next few weeks. The California Labor Federation and other labor groups strongly supported the deal. Despite what some of our members may have been told, the law has not been passed yet, so there is no new COVID-19 leave in place as of Feb 2, 2022.

More details will be available when the legislation is drafted. Click here to read what the law will reportedly entail.

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