On Nov.14, the Teamsters union went on strike to protest unfair bargaining and a lack of improvement in their contracts. The Teamsters union represents electricians, plumbers, carpenters and other trade skill workers. Union members, students and other people stood with them in solidarity on the picket line while holding signs and marching around the school. Teamsters unions across the other 22 CSU campuses also went on strike today.
The striking party traveled from the picket line, past the Administration building, through the quad, past Burk Hall and the student center, and continued out onto Font Blvd. From there, the striking union walked parallel to the Mashouf Wellness Center and next to the Mary dorm buildings. They then walked on Lake Merced Blvd past the lot 20 parking garage and headed toward Annex 1 and Annex 2. The union then looped back to the picket line.
Jose Fuentes is the business agent for Teamsters Local 2010. Fuentes and others were shouting into bull horns and leading chants while marching around campus. He also helped organize today’s strike on San Francisco State’s campus.
“Our members are willing and able to strike for a day, two days, three days or whatever it takes to get a fair contract,” Fuentes said.
The CSU has not bargained in good faith, according to several Teamsters union members. The CSU is also bringing in contracted workers as replacements for union members on projects like electrical, carpentry and plumbing in new developments being built.
“They’re also trying to take away methods on how to get equity increases,” Fuentes said. “The proposal that they have on the table is not even competitive to the private sector market for electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and workers like that.”
Jaime Alvarado is an electrician and a part of the union. Alvarado has been on the picket line since the strike first started at 7 a.m.
“We want to show them that we’re ready,” Alvarado said. “We’re ready to do whatever it takes to get a just contract because that’s what it really is about, is to get a fair contract. That’s what we’re striking about.”
Debbie Elia is the facilities project supervisor for housing at SFSU. Elia has been seeing the change in labor wages across the state, but has yet to see a change on campus.
“It’s been years. This is not the first time that they’ve been unfair to us,” Elia said. “It’s been years of unfairness and we’re behind all the other trades locally, and across the state.”
The CSU and Teamsters are at an impasse in their contract negotiations. Both parties are still in the process of bargaining according to an email statement from CSU’s Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Amy Bentley-Smith.
“The CSU remains committed to the collective bargaining process and reaching a negotiated agreement for increased compensation with the Teamsters, as we have done with five of our other employee unions in recent weeks,” Bentley-Smith stated in an email.
Students came out and supported the union members who were striking. They could be seen out on the picket line, chanting to people as they crossed said line to go to classes for the day. Some students brought food, hand warmers and more. Dulce Euclide is a first-year child adolescent development major and like other students, was upset about how the CSU has treated the Teamsters union.
“First of all, I think that it’s bullshit,” Euclide said. “I think that especially with the stuff we’ve been seeing for CFA (California Faculty Association), we need to come out and support our workers, there is no difference. We need to support workers’ rights no matter what, they make our school happen.”
Ian Longenbaugh is the general foreman of the new Science building project that is currently in construction. Longenbaugh and his crew had their day cut short because of the strike and chose to stand in solidarity with Teamsters.
“It makes me feel good knowing that we missed a day’s wages but we all stand together, we stand with them,” Longenbaugh said. “We let them know that because we lost wages, that’s okay. They need better wages for themselves.”
Secretary Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz was out leading the strike into the intersection of 19th and Holloway Ave. Rabinowitz and others successfully stopped traffic a multitude of times and got passersby’s attention.
“We’re standing up to CSU and their arrogance, their greed, their mistreatment of workers,” Rabinowitz said. “We represent 1,100 skilled trades workers throughout CSU who do the hard work that keeps the university running every day.”
Rabinowitz and other members of today’s strike were saying that if their contract demands are not met, then the union will not go back to work and the school will shut down.
“They don’t have a university without our work,” Rabinowitz said. “It’s about time they show appreciation in the form of a fair contract and bargain in good faith with us.”
Those who were out on the picket line want to see the CSU stand with their union workers, not against them. First-year broadcast and electronic communication arts major Elsy Hernandez could be seen passing out flyers that covered all the different reasons for the strike happening today.
“If you’re a student and maybe you don’t understand why you should be supporting this, why you should be out here — it’s all about solidarity,” Hernandez said. “One day we’re gonna be workers, one day we’re gonna be out here fighting for our salary, our rights. It’s these people who are out here doing all of this wonderful work that make our school run.”
