The fight to protect student-employees is on and the road to a Student-Workers Union is breaking stride at Sonoma State. The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), and The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 are all partnering up to help universities like Sonoma State and its student-employees by giving them more options and tools to protect, voice, and secure their work life.
CSUEU is a union that represents California State University students who are employed by their college or university. They help enable these students to advance common interests such as higher wages, applicable benefits, better scheduling, and improving general conditions in the workplace.
Senior psyche major Annie Watts is an Operational Staff Manager at the Recreation Center. She has been a student-employee for a year who enjoys working with her peers, building her community, and spending time with the “Rec Family.” Even though the employers are very respectful and understanding of classes, extracurricular activities, and emergencies, she would like to see a different pay schedule and more working hours.
“I would work more since our current cap is 20 hours a week. Another downside is being paid monthly, it gets hard trying to budget out for a whole month when thinking about rent and groceries.” With a student-workers union, hour caps, paydays, and different scheduling can all be negotiated properly and with protection.
In order to form a union there are many steps to ensure it’s properly done. NUHW Union Steward, Jeremiah Black, is working closely with Sonoma State and its students to make sure these student-employees are in the best position that they could be in. It is important to first build rapport, to survey and get the groundwork started, Black said, “This is the backing, pushing for the spread of knowledge, their voices are the power.”
After word is spread, students are encouraged to visit the CSUEU website or scan the QR code and fill out the “CSU Student Workers Union Authorization” card form. This allows students to join the union and work together to form better working conditions. In addition to signing this authorization card, students can become advocates and are responsible for spreading more information, surveying, and identifying potential leaders.
Leaders that get voted in by the union members write contracts, voice the concerns, and represent the student assistants. Black said, “We really need the students to step up and step in. We are trying to empower these students through the union to get bargaining chips for their work conditions.” Since unions are democratic, union members vote on things like union dues, representation of the student-employees, and what protections and improvements students want in their contract.
Student-employees who work under a union have some perks and other benefits that their counterparts may not have. The Learning and Resource Center (LARC) on SSU is a program that has a union. Taylor Gordon, a third year undergrad in literature criticism in English is also a tutor and assistant director for the LARC.
“This is the best place to work. Everyone has a voice and everything is paid for here,” Gaydon said. “They care about you, you really feel cared for. I’ve accepted that I’m leaving Sonoma State, but I haven’t accepted that I’m leaving the LARC.”
Taylor has been working with the LARC for four years and is appreciative of the experience she has learned. These student-employees are a part of a diverse community who thrive on the support and direction of their peers. Jared Iverson, a third-year double major in math and bio chemistry spends his time tutoring in the LARC center. Iverson said, “a union would be very beneficial for student-employees, especially for younger students. They have rights and their work is their worth which is not to be abused by higher power. They only think their time is important, but the students’ time is just as important.”
