Labor Coalition rallies in support of S.T.E.P.S. Bill. Photo by Gabriel Gomez.
By Gabriel Gomez Art Director
On May 1, the California State University (CSU) union and student workers held a May Day rally event for union workers to gather together in solidarity as the labor coalition to support in pushing forward the Senate Bill 410, also known as S.T.E.P.S. (Steps to Economic Parity in Salaries).
This bill is asking for fair and livable wages for all CSU union workers system-wide. It is designed to change CSU’s current salary structure to benefit CSU staff.
California State University Employees Union’s (CSUEU) criticism of the CSU Board of Trustees’ future budget proposal is that it barely covers a 2% general salary increase. This rate does not keep up with current inflation. The proposal also does not prioritize students’ and employees’ basic needs, such as food and housing which are critical to student quality of life on campus.
All CSU labor unions gathered along the east walkway including CSUEU, California Faculty Association, Union of Academic Student Workers, Teamsters, International Union of Operating Engineers and Academic Professionals of California. They rallied on campus to bring attention to their cause in order to push forward the S.T.E.P.S. bill.
Not approving the bill would result in a large turnover rate with staff who find that their salaries are not commensurable to their hands-on experience, skills, knowledge and training. More often than not, these employees will look to other opportunities outside of CSUDH and leave campus for other jobs. It also affects staff morale which will impact student life as an end result. Those who don’t leave, don’t have the incentive to work at the highest performance and produce the quality work that they are known for.
Miguel Terán López, vice president and organizing chair of CSUEU Chapter 314 (Dominguez Hills) explained that the mission objective of the rally was to bring all the campus unions and student workers together so they can fight as one instead of being divided.
They are hoping that CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham and his administration see that they are all working together in this mission for fair wages that keep up with the cost of living and current inflation.
“Unfortunately, it’s getting harder for us to meet our needs. Some of us are living check by check. We want to make sure that we have a living wage and a dignified workplace,” López said.
The labor coalition is hoping to bring more awareness to S.T.E.P.S. and have more action events planned for the future including some in the summer and fall of this year. They want to build momentum throughout and if they don’t reach an agreement in the fall, they are prepared to strike at the end of the year if necessary.
