On Thurs., March 17, The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) hosted a “Pizza for Parity” event at Sonoma State in the Seawolf Plaza. This event was mostly aimed towards Student Assistants, as they partnered with United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), working on the Good Jobs for the Future campaign, a new campaign within the CSUEU.

According to their website, the CSUEU is a “union representing the largest block of non-faculty employees at the California State Universities.” CSUEU’s 16,000 members support academics and operations, working at 23 campuses as well as the Office of the Chancellor. It was created in 1982 as part of the California State Employees Association (CSEA), and is now an independent affiliate of the CSEA. 

The main purpose of the CSUEU is providing support to both employees and employers within the CSU system and fighting for fair pay grades. They base this off the ability of employees to continue working in the CSU system, and work their way up in the workplace. According to csu.org, “the union strongly believes that employee compensation should not only be competitive to enable the employer to recruit and retain good employees, but it should be perceived by employees as being fair and reasonable. CSU employees no longer believe that the current system is fair and reasonable. As a result, many employees leave the system after discovering they have no way to reach the upper end of the salary scale in their classification.”

The Pizza for Parity event was co-hosted by two organizations: the Good Jobs for the Future campaign, and the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). Emily Hake, the Academic Programs Coordinator at California State Stanislaus and Member Organizer of CSUEU’s Good Jobs for the Future campaign is helping host this event. Alongside Hake, Angel and Camila Rivera, are both representing USAS. USAS is the nation’s largest youth-led, student labor campaign organization, and has a long history in amplifying student voices against labor exploitation. Good Jobs for the Future is a relatively new campaign, with a mission of unionizing Student Assistants in the CSU system statewide.

When asked about the connection between the two organizations, Emily Hake says, “Student Assistants are unique since they’re both CSU students and employees. CSUEU has experience and history bargaining with the CSU for their employees, while USAS is both composed of students, and has experience and connections with advocating for students in the labor movement. Together, CSUEU and USAS form the ideal team to advocate for Student Assistants.” 

The Good Jobs for the Future campaign believes that Student Assistants across the CSU system deserve to be represented by CSUEU, as they are employees of the University as well as students. Student Assistants have a wide range of jobs, from office and clerical support, helping to maintain campus grounds, assisting in libraries, supporting student housing, parking security and enforcement, providing IT support, and more.

When Hake decided to help organize Good Jobs for the Future, she found many student assistants feeling in need of representation. “As we talk to Student Assistants, many are expressing to us that they do the same type of work as CSUEU staff, so they should be represented by the same union. Student Assistants have the same right to protected, concerted activity as all workers and CSUEU is listening intently to their concerns. All staff are dedicated to the CSU mission and that includes student assistants.” Hake was once a Library Administration Student Assistant at her Alma Mater, CSU Stanislaus, and knows first hand the hard work Student Assistants put in for their jobs.

Common concerns from Student Assistants regarding joining any union often involve cost and benefits provided. Hake explained that, “signing a membership card as a Student Assistant means you want to join your fellow student and staff employees as a member of CSUEU, but Student Assistants will not pay any dues until they have voted to ratify a contract.” For an idea of what to expect if a contract is ratified, CSUEU members currently pay dues at 1% of their pre-tax salary. They also gain benefits such as low cost healthcare, free vision and dental, better workplace protections, and collective representation. More details of the union with CSUEU can be found online at https://www.csueu.org.