The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Teamsters

  • CFA settles and calls off strike after one day, Teamsters settle over weekend

    CFA settles and calls off strike after one day, Teamsters settle over weekend

    by Andres Felix Romero

    Across the California State University system, thousands of students expected a pause in classes, thousands of faculty expected to trade in their pens and markers for picket signs and thousands of skilled laborers were prepared to drop their tools for the week of Jan. 22-26 to strike.

    However, the Teamsters 2010 announced Friday, Jan. 19 they reached an agreement with the Chancellor’s Office. After one day of a weeklong planned strike, it was announced by the California Faculty Association (CFA) the night of Jan. 22 that they and the Chancellor’s office had settled with a tentative agreement as well. Campus operations are set to return to full swing by the end of this week. 

    Teamster’s Agreement Highlights

    The Teamsters were able to secure an immediate 5% pay increase, with back pay retroactive to July 1, 2023. They were also able to establish a step-pay system, meaning that skilled laborers within the CSU system will have a pay increase each year. Teamsters were also able to maintain their pension, medical benefits, and their emergency pay.

    With the Teamsters able to get back to work and have an agreement for a solid contract in order with better pay, skilled laborers on the Humboldt Campus such as locksmith Phillip Bradley felt a sense of relief. 

    “Obviously [having an agreement in place] just takes a lot of stress off,” Bradley said. “Uncertainty creates a lot of anxiety.”

    Librarian Carly Marino drums while crossing 14th St. | Photo by Griffin Mancuso

    CFA Agreements Highlights

    The CFA also secured a 5% increase in pay retroactive to July 1, 2023. There is planned to be another 5% increase on July 1, 2024, effectively giving faculty a roughly 10% increase in pay. However, the 2024 increase is contingent on the state not cutting CSU funding. There will also be more protections in place for faculty dealing with police, and improved access to gender-inclusive restrooms and lactation spaces. Also for faculty that are new parents, paid parental leave has increased from six to 10 weeks.

    Faculty, such as English professor Sarah Ben-Zvi, had to find ways to balance parenthood with work. Despite the support of her department to make her maternity leave as smooth as possible, she still felt some struggle. She felt that the increase in time for maternity leave was appreciated, but it may not be enough. 

    “It’s definitely a step in the right direction, but I still don’t think it’s enough time,” Ben-Zvi said. “I feel like it was not until maybe three months after my kid was born, that I started to feel almost human again… and able to give my students what they deserve, which is a great teacher who is on her game.”

    Another mother and professor with a newborn is English professor Tessa Head, who was on the picket line with her 14-month-old child. Head feels that a paid semester of parental leave would be beneficial for not just parents but the students as well. 

    “[A semester of parental leave] would give you time to bond with your babies and take care of them, to form that secure attachment,” Head said. “And for students, I think it would provide better learning conditions because they would have a faculty member who is present for the whole semester.”

    CFA faculty rights chair Loren Cannon was present on the picket line striking his drum and leading strikers. He shared his thoughts on the outcome of the tentative agreement.

    “We really did make some gains,” Cannon said. “I guess [the Chancellor’s Office] didn’t expect us to actually pull off a strike or something, because we only struck for one day [then came to a tentative agreement with the Chancellor’s Office].”

    Richard Toledo leads faculty and students across 14th St. holding signs on the picket line. | Photo by Griffin Mancuso

    Student Reactions

    With notice being given by faculty not to expect classes this week, some students made plans for work or travel. Students like Criminology and Social Justice Major Jocelyn Douglas faced some struggles when they scheduled extra shifts at work this week, only to be told that class would be back in session. The short notice has left students such as Douglas feeling disorganized.

    “I took this opportunity of thinking that I had a week off of school to work 60 hours with both jobs that I work at, to be able to catch up on bills,” Douglas said. “Being a full-time student and working full-time, sometimes conflicts with each other. And with less than a 24-hour notice that we do have to attend school, and with my classes being mandatory for attendance, I’m kind of conflicted about [choosing] between work and school. Thank God the teachers are being pretty lenient so far.”

    Scene of Strike

    As for the strike itself, dozens of faculty and their supporters were on the picket line. They danced with their signs to the passing cars that honked their support, all the while they moved to energizing music blaring over speakers. Some signs read, “5% don’t pay the rent,” “California Strike University” and “You can’t put students first if you put faculty last.”

    Students were present on the line to support their faculty. Students such as accounting major Lealu Freedom felt an obligation to support their professors due to the past support they have given to her. 

    “[If faculty have better conditions they] can devote more time to their students, and create a more enjoyable experience versus focusing so much on trying to get their needs met,” Freedom said. “It’s kind of like a student. You know, if the student’s struggling with housing, they’re not gonna be able to learn. Same thing with a teacher, if they’re struggling with basic needs, they are not gonna be able to teach.”

    What’s Next

    Language for the contracts will be rewritten based on the tentative agreement, and the CFA is expected to vote on whether or not to officially ratify the contract within the coming weeks to months.

    Although the CFA and Teamsters unions made gains in this situation, CFA President Marisol Ruiz acknowledges that there is still work to be done.

    “When we are striking, we’re striking for better working conditions for all,” Ruiz said. “For all the faculty and the students, we should all be supportive and in unison working together to fight. There’s still a 6% increase of tuition hikes, and that’s a fight that needs to continue to happen.”

  • CFA and Teamsters commit to joint strike second week of classes

    CFA and Teamsters commit to joint strike second week of classes

    by Andres Felix Romero

    Originally printed 1/17/24

    After over a year of negotiations with the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office, the California Faculty Association (CFA), which represents lecturers, professors, counselors, coaches and librarians, and Teamsters Local 2010, which represents skilled laborers such as locksmiths, plumbers, painters, etc., have decided to strike during the second week of classes Jan. 22-26.

    This will be the second strike for the Teamsters following their day-long strike across the CSU system on November 14, 2023. As for the CFA, this is their second strike as well, following their series of strikes across select CSU campuses in December 2023. 

    Goals for Strike

    Teamsters such as Housing Locksmith Phillip Bradley and the CFA hope that the combined strike will bring the CSU back to the bargaining table.

    “If you don’t have classes, you’re not going to have students-and if you don’t have students, you don’t have much of a university,” Bradley said. “So honestly, we’re hoping that the threat of [a week without classes] will get us back to the negotiating table, but the ultimate goal of this is to get some fair labor contracts.”

    The CFA in particular is fighting for better aspects in their contracts, such as paid leave for parents, lactation rooms, safer bathroom options and as CFA President Marisol Ruiz highlights as the most important, a wage increase that can compete with the recent 8% increase in inflation.

    “The end goal for us is to get our 12% [wage increase] that we deserve,” Ruiz said. “[The 5% wage increase that the Chancellor’s office is offering] is behind inflation and would mean that we’re getting a pay cut. Are you seeing the gas prices? Have you seen the PG&E bill? Have you seen the food prices? [The Chancellor’s Office] is cutting our salary because it doesn’t keep up with inflation, so we’re doing the same work for less pay.”

    The CSU has previously stated that they lack the funds to accommodate the 12% pay increase. However, Ruiz questions that the CSU lacks the funds, as evidenced by the salaries of the CSU presidents and chancellors, as well as pay increases they receive.

     “If [the CSU system] didn’t have the money, why did the Board of Trustees allow [new CSU Chancellor] Mildred Garcia to [receive] almost a million dollars for her salary?” Ruiz said. “For me, [the Board of Trustees are] not making good decisions. They’re using our taxpayer dollars, our student’s money, to give the rich more, and it’s not trickling down to us, the workers – the ones on the front lines with the students.”

    Potential Impact of the CFA-Teamster Strike on Campus

    Besides classes being canceled, there are more potential and expected impacts on the campus community at large. CFA Faculty Rights Chair and member of the state-wide bargaining team for the CFA, Loren Cannon, explains the extent of the strike for faculty besides lecturers temporarily trading their markers for picket signs.

    “We cannot do any other work,” Cannon said. “There’s no halfway to strike. If somebody said, ‘Hey, I’m not going to teach my classes, but I’m going to answer my students’ emails,’ – we can’t do that. We can be reprimanded. We can be disciplined. We can lose our jobs. So, the laws about striking, it’s gotta be an all-or-nothing.”

    During the week of the strike, the Teamsters and the CFA will be picketing across campus, notably on LK Wood and 14th Street. Ruiz encourages students to support by joining the line throughout the week and hopes that the actions can be a teaching moment. 

    “[The CFA and Teamsters are] modeling,” Ruiz said. “We don’t know what industry [the students are] going to be in, but in any industry, they’re going to have to join a union to protect their wages.”

    Bradley wants to make it clear that the Teamsters’ strike isn’t to attack Humboldt but to send a message to the CSU at large.

    “This strike is not about protesting Humboldt,” Bradley said. “All this is about our collective bargaining with the Chancellor’s Office and the CSU system as a whole. We’ve got good managers and supervisors at Humboldt who have been very respectful and very supportive, and have been going above and beyond.”

    With the Teamsters on strike, there will likely be much deeper impacts on the campus. Bradley explains that the university will likely need to hire outside contractors to keep the basic functions of the campus moving.

    “We have to assume [the university is] arranging to bring in contractors or [other skilled laborers] that cover for leaks or [other repairs],” Bradley said. “But, we all have to go through extensive background checks before we’re hired because, you know, we work around students. And contractors cost more, outsourcing rarely results in long-term savings.”

    On top of the CSU Teamsters being on strike, other Teamsters belonging to other companies and groups will not be crossing the picket line out of solidarity. 

    “It’s a good strike because it’s a [Teamster] sanctioned strike,” Bradley said. “That means all of the other Teamsters won’t cross that line. Food deliveries won’t happen [such as Sysco Foods, which delivers much of the campus dining food]. UPS also won’t deliver. Any other Teamster-related service won’t cross that line. It will probably halt or delay construction on the new buildings [as those Teamsters are also affiliated with those projects.]”

    Despite Sysco Foods not delivering for the campus next week, Assistant Retail Director Carlos Castillo assures that Dining services has prepared for the strike and there will be no expected food shortages.

    “All units are ordering heavy this week in order to get through all of next week,” Castillo said. “So that way, there are no food shortages for the week.”
    What About Those That Can’t Afford to Strike?

    As much as some faculty members would like to strike alongside their colleagues, some simply aren’t able to, as the financial hit of losing pay while on strike would be too much for them. Child Development Professor Larisa Callaway-Cole is trying to find a balance between supporting the action and meeting the needs of her family.

    “I have spent significant time thinking about my position with the strike and have come to the following decision for myself,” Callaway-Cole wrote in an email to her students. “I cannot afford to strike. I am a new single mom, which has come with a significant increase in costs that I am learning to balance. If I were to strike for a whole week, I would not be able to pay all of my bills. That being said, I would like to show solidarity with my union, and will be striking on Friday, January 26.” 

    Why Strike Now?

    Cannon clarifies that he feels the strike could have been avoided if the Chancellor’s Office were negotiating fairly.

    “We weren’t getting anywhere at the negotiation table,” Cannon said. “From my perspective, it just seemed like they weren’t ready to negotiate with us at all. The strike could have been called off if they had brought us something that made sense that we could work with, but I think they just want to act like there’s no union here at all. We said, ‘All right, then the strike is going on.’ This may be the largest strike in the history of higher education.”

    Cannon highlights the importance of the unions standing in solidarity together and taking action towards the CSU system.

    “The CSU does not work without faculty. The CSU does not work without the Teamsters,” Cannon said. “If we don’t make a stand, it’s just going to get worse. It’s going to get worse for faculty members, and it’s going to get worse for students.”

  • Teamsters Union demonstrate for better wages at Cal Poly Humboldt

    Teamsters Union demonstrate for better wages at Cal Poly Humboldt

    by Carlos Pedraza

    The Teamsters union marched across campus on Thursday, April 6 demonstrating against the California State University system offer, during union contract negotiations. The Teamsters union represents the service and maintenance workers in the CSU.

    The demonstration began at the administration building at the quad. The demonstrators marched around the campus shouting slogans and demands. They ended their march in the quad where they continued to chant slogans until music was played from the stage in the quad.

    During the pandemic, the union made an agreement with the CSU administration to avoid layoffs. The union will not renegotiate its contract with the CSU. Union member and housing maintenance worker Brian Wheeler spoke out on the issue.

    “We asked for 15%, 5% for 2020, 5% for 2021, and 5% going forward,” Wheeler said. “They offered us 3%.”

    He feels that with inflation increasing and the sacrifice the workers made during the COVID years, they deserve a higher wage increase.

    There were other teamster demonstrations across other California university campuses. The Teamster Local 2010 held demonstrations on the UC Berkeley campus, San Francisco State University, and Chico state campuses demanding the same contract renegotiation that the Cal Poly Humboldt workers are demonstrating for.

    When asked about the current negotiations, CSU spokesperson Kelly Hazel made it clear that the CSU organization is currently negotiating with union representatives.

    “The CSU values its employees and is committed to providing appropriate levels of compensation. We continue to meet at the bargaining table with the teamster representative,” said Hazel. She continued, explaining that the CSU’s main goal is a balanced budget and that the CSU will work towards this in the negotiations.

    The negotiations between the CSU and Teamsters are still ongoing, with the CSU offering a 4% wage increase for 2021-2022 but no wage increase for 2020.

    Photo by Carlos Pedraza | Union demonstrators end their march at the university quad.