Teamsters Demand CSU Re-open Wage Negotiations as Funding Flows In!
Thanks to the foresight of our Teamsters Bargaining Team, the state budget recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom contains a level of funding for the CSU that triggers the wage re-opener contained in our mid-pandemic contract extension agreement with CSU. Our Union has sent a demand to resume negotiations for the raises and salary steps that were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, following the billions of dollars in state and federal funding that have flowed into the CSU!
Teamsters and other unions at the CSU fought hard for this funding, which includes federal stimulus aid, state budget allocations that restore the CSU to its pre-pandemic funding levels going forward, plus a 5% increase in base state funding on top of that. The state provides roughly half of the CSU overall budget, with student tuition filling in the remainder. This money ensures that the CSU can continue serving students, employing workers, and paying fair market wages, and we’re going to make sure they do just that.
CSU Skilled Trades workers have worked hard throughout the pandemic and have forgone raises and postponed negotiations on salary steps — again — in order to focus on safety and maintaining their jobs. As we go into these reopener negotiations, it’s time for the CSU to use this increased state funding, federal stimulus and their nearly $2 billion in reserves to take care of the workers, some of whom have been earning less than they should be for nearly 20 years.
“Our top priority for Teamsters 2010 in the coming year is fighting for fair contracts, better pay and benefits. We have been working on the front lines and sacrificing through the pandemic to keep California running. Now it’s time for CSU to take care of its dedicated workforce.”
Mandatory Vaccination at the CSU
Following recent policy updates from the University of California, Chancellor Castro has confirmed that the CSU will continue to wait for full FDA authorization before requiring vaccination of all CSU staff and students. You can read the Chancellor’s full statement here.
Teamsters Local 2010 recommends that our members receive vaccinations to protect themselves, their families, and their communities and we will continue to fight to ensure that the CSU’s vaccination policy is fair to our members. That includes protecting members’ right to paid time off for vaccine appointments and side effects, protection of privacy rights, and right to appropriate exemptions.