San Jose State staff members picketed on campus to protest SJSU and the California State University board’s decision not to negotiate with trade workers on their five-year contracts and wages.
The workers are represented by the Teamsters local 2010, a union that represents more than 14,000 workers in higher education which includes the California State University employee Union for skilled trades, according to the union’s website.
Catie Arbona, the union’s communications specialist, said the contract negotiations with CSU have been in the works since 2019.
“We put negotiations on hold in early 2020, when the pandemic hit. We did so because of budget cuts. This wasn't the time to be doing this.” she said.
Arbona said the union paused on negotiations for wages and benefits until the state budget would eventually be restored, which occurred in 2021 with a 5% increase to CSU’s general fund.
“CSU has been fighting that ever since they have been offering us 0% for the work done in 2021 when they were on campus, you know, during the really dangerous work, keeping the lights on, keeping the buildings from falling,” she said.
The CSU board also delayed negotiations because of former chancellor Joseph Castro’s Feb. 17 resignation.
Acting chancellor Steve Relyea said they do not have the authority to do anything, Arbona said.
SJSU trade workers, who are part of the CSU employee union, along with Teamsters Union representatives, marched across the university campus with slogans including, “We can’t take it anymore.”
Many staff members said they find it difficult to accept the fact that since the pandemic, they’ve not received a raise that could help counteract the costs of rising inflation.
An SJSU staff member, who wanted to go by the name of Hugo due to privacy concerns, said all he wants is “a living wage.”
“Given the area of where we live, we are sorely underpaid. What we're asking for is a fair and equal raise based on the cost of living in our area,” Hugo said. “We are considered essential workers and the negotiating table should reflect that.”
A protester and member of the Teamsters who wished to be identified as Mike because of privacy concerns, said he “sees only crocodile tears with their treatment over the pandemic.”
“They call us heroes during the pandemic and they took us out during the halftime of the basketball game with a big round of applause but in the end, all we get is a free basketball game,” he said.
SJSU trade workers said they don’t only fight for their wages but also for students.
A staff member who chose to go by “the mechanic” because of privacy concerns, has worked at SJSU for 25 years and believes conditions have not improved for workers and that the university is setting a bad example for their students.
“It’s an educational institution and this is what they're teaching students: equality, treating people with fairness and better wages,” he said. “But they're not doing it themselves.”
A protester and member of the CSU Employee Union who wished to go by Mo for privacy concerns, expressed a similar sentiment to the Teamsters.
“If we're still fighting for jobs and justice and we're not getting to that point, how can you uplift and inspire people on an educational campus?” he said.
Mo believes that SJSU staff should work for the students, not the administration. So by disenfranchising the workers, the university is doing the same to the students.
“My concern is, I work for the students of San Jose State. I don't work for the administration; the students pay my salary,” he said. “So if I don't stick up for them, it's like not sticking up for the students.”
