March 30, 2022
The day before SF State commemorates workers rights on Cesar Chavez day, California State University union employees who fall under the skilled trade category protested in front of the Administration building today, calling for negotiations to begin after a two year lull.
According to Teamsters Local 2010 the union for employees of California’s higher education– at the beginning of the pandemic they were in negotiations with the CSU Board for pay raises for years 2020 and 2021. The Teamsters were told by the CSU that the budget needed to be adjusted because of the pandemic. It has been two years and there is no pay raise in sight.
Anthony Cardinale, a union steward who represents employees as a working member of Unit six –the CSU Skilled Trades unit– was a lead organizer at the protest. He has been helping with the Teamsters Local 2010 contract campaign and is a lead painter at CSU Monterey Bay since 2013.
“We are trying to get President Mahoney’s attention and let them know that the Teamsters on campus are organized and hoping to be recognized instead of continuing to be ignored like we have been for a year,” Cardinale said.
It is not just the lack of pay raise employees have an issue with, it is also the lack of job security. According to Cardinale, the pandemic saw many layoffs, but the CSU promised to hire employees back if the CSU Board received the funding for it, or at least offer temporary positions. However, Cardinale said the Board is hiring third party workers that are not part of the CSU.
“We have to fight them every time we find out they are contracting something out to get them to assign this work appropriately,” said Cardinale.
