By Over 30 union workers and Long Beach State employees protested outside Brotman Hall as part of a CSU wide demonstration on International Workers’ Day, rallying for better wage benefits, working conditions and employee treatment.
Demonstrators marched around the Brotman Hall fountain, hitting orange buckets and chanting, “What do we want? SALARY STEPS! When do we want it? NOW!”
For over 25 years, the CSUEU has been fighting to get CSU’s salary steps back which they lost in 1996, making them the only state agency without them. Salary steps is a system that allows workers’ salaries to progress without bargaining every three years.
A CSU faculty protest took place Monday in front of Brotman Hall with hopes of garnering attention to increase salaries through the salary steps program. Photo credit: Renzo Pocasangre
“It’s been a battle. These things generally are a long protracted battle but this is ridiculous,” said John Ciulik, CSUEU member and Department of Family and Consumer Sciences employee.
The Mercer Study, a state-funded study regarding employee compensation and staff salary, created a wave of dissatisfaction among CSU faculty. The study compared salaries at each Cal State campus and found that some professors, librarians, counselors and coaches in the 23-campus system are being underpaid, depending on their job.
For example, CSU management and business faculty are paid 14% below market rates. The average salary for the instructors in that field is $137,625, while other universities average $161,081.
“They play women and minorities less. It’s been a problem for 20. Some years, we get no compensation for dedication, institutional memory, for moving beyond any bit of your job description,” said Karen Warner, an academic analyst for the CSULB School of Art.
05/01/2023: Long Beach, CA- A protestor stands in front of Brotman Hall holding a sign along with their counterparts as they protest the pay scale and educator turnover in the education system. Photo credit: Sonny Tapia
In addition to being underpaid, the salaries are inconsistent amongst the same job description. This means workers are being asked to do more than they are hired to do and getting underpaid for it. The study determined around 80% of the employees are dissatisfied with their pay, while only 5% were satisfied.
According to Jennifer Moron, vice president organizer for CSUEU, CSULB staff is consistently going out on medical leave due to high-stress levels.
“They leave because they’re being treated like crap,” Moron said. “We do have the ability to make a phone call to deal with that stress but it would be far better if management just treated people well. It’s not complicated.”
Faculty protested the need for a raise, especially after following the CSU executives raise that took place over the summer of 2022. Photo credit: Renzo Pocasangre
In 2015, CSUEU reached a boiling point with workplace bullying issues from management and pushed for anti-bullying policies.
Although the Chancellor’s Office signed off on the changes recommended by the study, they have not been implemented.
“The students and staff here on campus deserve to have basic rights such as AC in the art department and being able to walk at graduation, making sure that the staff has a decent salary to continue the education that we’re getting here,” said Josh Brennecke, who is often seen holding a sign for free high fives at the USU. “It seems like President Conoley wants nothing to do with that.”
