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Victory for Student Workers! The California Alliance of Academic
Student Employees (CAASE/UAW)
has successfully concluded contract negotiations with the CSU administration.
This is a huge victory for organized labor at the largest university
system in the world! The CFA welcomes this newest addition to the labor movement at the CSU.
We look forward to working in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in
the CAASE!
Here is an account of the organizing campaign written by Marc Scott, a
member on our campus:
On May 11th, over 6000 teaching assistants, tutors, and graders in the
California State University system
successfully negotiated their first contract with university
administration. The three-year contract includes wage increases, tuition
reimbursement, health benefits, fair hiring and firing procedures, clearly
defined job descriptions, and other essential workplace protections for
members of the California Alliance of Academic Student Employees (CAASE.)
The teaching assistants, organized by the United Auto Workers, began a
membership drive in the fall 2003
term and within three months signed up over 5000 academic student
employees across the CSU’s 23 campuses. The quick response from the
academic student employees serves as testament to the poor working
conditions experienced by a majority of academic student employees (ASE’s),
who have not had a uniform wage increase since 1991.
Bargaining began in September of 2004, and members of the CAASE bargaining
team quickly found themselves at
odds with an administration bent on preserving substandard work
conditions. Representatives for the CSU administration repeatedly
committed unfair labor practices, such as refusing to offer tangible
proposals with respects to pay and benefits, refusing to agree to
sufficient bargaining dates, and withholding information they are legally
obligated to provide any union negotiating a contract.
As a result, the CAASE called a one-day unfair labor practice strike on
Thursday December 9th 2004 with
widespread approval and support from students, faculty and other rank and
file union members on campus. The
strike was called the week before final examinations, and was the first in
the history of the California State University where teaching associates
perform between 25% and 35% of teaching instruction. Nationwide, teaching
associates contribute between 30% and 40% of instruction, and at some
institutions that number is over 50%.
A strike was called last week to protest the administration’s continuing
unfair labor practices, but when administrators caught wind of it they
quickly caved to the union’s demands. Ratification of the contract by
union members is expected and is currently under way via mail ballots. CSU
trustees will meet to confirm the contract two weeks after the union
ratifies it.
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