Responding to our Teamsters proposal that included fair general salary increases and step increases for our Unit 6 members’ essential work, CSU again passed a salary proposal that made no real movement from their prior lowball proposal. It again only includes a 1% average increase resulting from placement on their proposed 2% step structure, no guaranteed step progression, and several takeaways relative to the existing Article 24 language on salary.
The only “movement” CSU made from their previous proposal was adding back some of the language they had struck from the current contract language in their first proposal, plus adding a salary reopener for fiscal year 2025/26. But the University adding another year to the contract is not movement in our direction, when the additional year does not contain guaranteed raises, only a reopener. The CSU also proposed taking away all emergency pay and in-range progression (IRP) language, despite only proposing 1% on average in guaranteed raises over what would now be a 3-year contract. The only mechanism for additional step advancement would be a procedure entirely under CSU management’s discretion.
Our Teamsters Bargaining Team and Chief Negotiator Jason Rabinowitz made clear that CSU’s takeaway proposal is insulting and unacceptable:
Our members sacrificed during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued working for two years with no raises, and the CSU’s proposal to compensate that work is a 3-year contract with no across-the-board raise, no step increases, and massive concessions. This is not recognition for the essential work our members do and the sacrifices they made to keep the CSU running during the crisis.
With CSU continuing to disrespect our essential work and sacrifices during the pandemic, please sign our petition calling on the CSU Board of Trustees to direct the CSU Chancellor’s Office to bargain fair raises and step increases. The CSU Trustees have a responsibility as leaders of the CSU system to address this growing crisis and it is past time they did so.