We often hear from members who say, "I haven't used anything from the union." This comment highlights a common misconception about what CSEA membership truly means. It's not about individual "use" in the traditional sense, like redeeming a coupon. It's about the collective power we wield together to improve our working lives.

For example, you pay taxes to support the fire department, hoping you never need them. But that doesn't mean their existence isn't valuable. They provide a safety net, ready to respond in case of an emergency, protecting your property and potentially your life. A well-staffed fire department means faster response times, more firefighters on the scene to tackle a blaze, and better resources to handle complex emergencies. Your CSEA membership works similarly, providing a safety net for your wages, benefits, and working conditions. Just like the fire department's effectiveness increases with proper staffing, our CSEA Chapter's strength comes from its collective membership. The more members there are, the stronger the Chapter's ability to negotiate better terms for everyone.

Negotiating Strong Contracts: The Foundation of Our Success

CSEA’s most visible role is contract negotiation. Our Chapter’s dedicated member negotiation team, featuring representatives from six job classifications, works tirelessly behind the scenes to secure strong contracts that benefit every member. This includes:

• Securing Fair Wages: We fight for competitive wages that reflect the value of your work and keep pace with the cost of living. These aren't individual raises; they're across-the-board increases that benefit everyone covered by the contract.
• Protecting and Enhancing Benefits: From healthcare and retirement plans to vacation time and sick leave, we negotiate to maintain and improve the benefits that are essential to your well-being.
• Ensuring Safe and Fair Working Conditions: We advocate for safe working environments, fair disciplinary procedures, and a voice in workplace decisions that affect us all.

These negotiations are complex and demanding, often involving lengthy discussions and strategic planning. But the results speak for themselves: stronger contracts that improve the lives of all members.

Beyond the Contract: Fighting for Our Rights

CSEA’s work goes far beyond contract negotiations. We also advocate for our members in other crucial ways:

• Protecting Workers' Rights: We ensure that management adheres to the contract and applicable laws, protecting members from unfair treatment, discrimination, and unjust discipline.
• Addressing Workplace Issues: Our stewards are on the front lines, addressing member concerns, resolving workplace disputes, and ensuring that everyone is treated fairly.
• Legal Advocacy and Landmark Victories: Sometimes, legal action is necessary to protect our members' rights. A recent example is the successful CSEA Juneteenth settlement against school districts in California. Through our collective action, we secured Juneteenth as a paid holiday for classified and obtained back pay for classified staff who worked on Juneteenth in 2021 and 2022. This victory wouldn't have been possible without the strength and resources of the union. 
• Note: Deadline to submit paperwork for Juneteenth compensation is February 18. Search your district email for Juneteenth to find the link to file. 

The Power of Collective Action

The benefits of CSEA membership aren't always immediately apparent, but they are substantial and far-reaching. Every member benefits from the collective bargaining power of the union, even if they don't directly file a grievance or attend a negotiation session.

Think of it as a team sport. Each player has a specific role, but the ultimate goal is to win as a team. Your union membership is your contribution to the team, strengthening our collective voice and ensuring that we can continue to fight for fair wages, decent benefits, and respectful working conditions.

Stay Connected and Get Involved

We encourage all members to stay informed about Chapter activities and get involved whenever possible. Attend monthly chapter meetings, talk to your site representative, and read union communications. Your participation strengthens our union and makes us all stronger.

If you're not yet a member, we encourage you to join us. Together, we can build a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities. By standing together, we amplify our voices and ensure that our concerns are heard. The value of union membership is not just in what you "use," but in the collective power we create together.

Real Examples of Our Chapter's Worth

Sometimes, our CSEA chapter’s worth is best seen through specific examples of how we've advocated for our members:

• Paraeducator Hours and Benefits: Previously, paraeducators who rode the bus with students were working additional hours beyond their classroom time but the two activities’ hours were considered separately by payroll. The union negotiated to combine these hours, resulting in increased overall hours for these paraeducators. This increase had a significant positive impact: it lowered their health benefit costs and increased their CALPERS retirement points, directly benefiting their financial well-being.
• Library Media Tech Stipends and Classification Review: When the district introduced the 1:1 Chromebook program, Library Media Techs experienced a substantial increase in workload. Recognizing this, the union advocated for these members, securing stipends to compensate for the added responsibilities and initiating an early classification review to ensure their job descriptions accurately reflected their expanded duties.
• Protecting Members from Unfair Evaluations: Recently, several members experienced unfair evaluations due to managers not following the procedures outlined in our contract. By filing grievances, the union successfully had these negative evaluations changed. Furthermore, we used this experience to negotiate improvements to the contract. Now, instead of annual evaluations, classified staff will be evaluated every two years, and a problematic section of the evaluation process has been removed, ensuring a fairer and less burdensome evaluation system for all.

These are just a few examples of how your union is constantly working to improve your working conditions, wages, and benefits. We are committed to addressing member concerns and advocating for fair treatment for all.