One thousand one hundred skilled trade workers participated in a one-day strike across all California State University (CSU) campuses on Tuesday, Nov. 14 to protest against stalled contract negotiations and rally for higher wages, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Over the past nine months, the labor union Teamster Local 2010 has negotiated with the CSUs for improved working conditions, arguing that CSU wages for skilled trade workers have stagnated, according to the Teamsters 2010 website. Not only have their wages fallen behind other states, but salaries are not sufficient enough to sustain the high living cost in California, according to KSBY.
“As long as it’s non-violent, it’s justified with what they want from the system and to get their voices heard,” senior Rachel Park said. “Getting connections with higher people and authority will definitely help increase the probability of these strikes working.”
Skilled workers include plumbers, technicians, electricians and more, who maintain CSU campus infrastructure, according to current CSU graduate student and social studies teacher Taryn Sorrentino. Sorrentino agreed that collective bargaining and striking are necessary forms of civil disobedience to obtain better working conditions.
Teamster union leaders led picket lines starting as early as 5 a.m. at CSU Channel Islands. Similar situations of marching, chanting and sign-holding were planned in all 23 universities.
“It’s good that they are fighting for better working conditions and better pay because they are being treated unfairly,” sophomore Garan Gurusinghe said. “It makes me more hesitant to go to a CSU because it seems like a school that doesn’t treat its workers fairly.”
As of now, CSU skilled trade workers lag 23.6% behind University of California trade workers in wages, according to KSBY. Teamster Local 2010’s primary goal is to advocate for step raises to expand salary opportunities and reward experienced workers. According to the Teamsters 2010 website, these step raises were eliminated 30 years ago, a major hindrance that calls into question CSU’s fair labor practices.
“We have a history in this country of workers finding success in organization efforts,” Sorrentino said. “So I hope they have a successful negotiation because they deserve higher pay, pay that increases along with the cost of living.”
While it is not clear when negotiations will come to a close, the strike showed solidarity within the skilled trade workers of all CSU campuses, who proposed 7% and 5% increases in wages, according to KSBY.
