The CSU Trustees are feeling the heat.
This week, CSU Teamsters and our allies brought our fight directly to the Trustees’ doorstep. On Monday we rallied outside the Trustees’ closed-door meeting at the Marriott Long Beach (a hotel on UNITE HERE’s blacklist, providing even more proof of the Trustees’ disregard for workers), and on Tuesday we took it up a notch. Not only did Teamsters and CFA workers rally outside the Trustees’ bimonthly meeting in Long Beach, we shut the meeting down and sent the Trustees running!
During public comment, our CSU Teamsters Bargaining Team members told the Trustees exactly what they didn’t want to hear. “When it comes to paying your workers, your faculty and staff, your budget always seems to be in crisis. But it’s a crisis you have created,” said Bargaining Team member Steve Phillips of CSU Fullerton, while workers held up letters spelling out “No Confidence” behind him. “If you think you’re going to continue to get rich off the backs of hardworking CSU employees while refusing to pay us what we’re worth, you’re messing with the wrong union,” added Jorge Martinez of Cal State LA.
After our members spoke, Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz addressed the Trustees. “Madam Chancellor, we have no confidence in this leadership. We ask you to reverse course and treat the workers with the fairness that we deserve!” Jason said before Teamsters and CFA members filling the seats broke into chants of “No Confidence!”, quickly driving the Trustees out of the room and ending the meeting.
Read coverage of our action in today’s issue of the Sacramento Bee!
Our action on Monday was an equal success, with a huge turnout of not only Teamsters workers, but also our allies in CFA, CSUEU, and UNITE HERE, the hotel workers’ union! Together our coalition picketed outside the Marriott Long Beach throughout the morning as the CSU Trustees met inside, blasting the Trustees for their unfairness toward CSU workers and the unionized hotel workers harmed by their decision to meet at a blacklisted hotel.
Our action drew major media attention, with coverage at FOX 11, Univision, ABC 7 and La Opinion. Thanks to Teamsters actions, Californians are taking note: the CSU has become the worst public employer in our state!
