Teamsters Local 2010 and our sister Unions at CSU have vowed to continue our fight for fair pay and step increases at CSU after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 410, authored by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) and known as The Steps to Economic Parity in Salaries (S.T.E.P.S.) Act, which would have helped fix the CSU’s broken salary structure for CSU support staff.
“Teamsters are determined to continue our fight for salary steps and fair pay for CSU workers, at the bargaining table and – if necessary – the strike lines,” said Teamsters Local 2010 Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz. “Teamsters and our sister Union, CSUEU, have put the CSU on notice that our members are fed up with substandard pay and unfair treatment, and we are ready to do whatever is necessary, and we will keep fighting, until CSU workers are paid fairly for the essential work we perform.”
“It is disappointing that Gov. Newsom did not support blue-collar labor by signing this bill “ said Teamsters Local 2010 Skilled Trades Director Drew Scott. “Since we have exhausted political avenues in trying to implement the steps program, our members are ready to take action, including to go on strike, to get this done.”
The Governor’s veto letter called on CSU to “strive to achieve” the goal of “raising wages and creating salary equity” for CSU staff, noting that the administration and CSU have reached a Compact containing “significant increases in funding to the CSU. It is my expectation that CSU leadership can both meet the commitments of the Compact and transition to a steps model for nonfaculty staff,” the Governor said.
While the veto is disappointing, especially in light of our well-attended rally of worker members from Teamsters Local 2010, the CSU Employees Union – SEIU Local 2579, AFT, UAPD, and others in Sacramento on Sept. 12, we will continue the fight in contract negotiations that begin this October for a successor contract to the one-year contract extension with raises and bonuses and that extension expires on June 30, 2023.
CSUEU President Catherine Hutchinson thanked CSU Union members for their action and solidarity:
“Thank you to every member who stepped up and sent an email, or filled out a postcard, or stood at the Capitol steps with our brothers and sisters to lobby for equitable pay,” Hutchinson said. “We fundamentally disagree with the Governor. We know the CSU has sufficient funding to more properly compensate its employees. I promise you we will not stop until we win the nine-step scale called for in the CSU Mercer salary study.”