Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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PAT GANTT FEATURED ON TODAY’S NWN WEBCAST
CSUEU STATEMENT ON THE DEBT CEILING DEAL
DEBT DEAL PRESERVES PELL GRANTS
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE SEEKS CHAPTER PHOTOS
WISCONSIN VOTERS RECALL RIGHT-WING LEGISLATORS
50 CENTS OF EVERY STATE DOLLAR GOES TO EDUCATION
NEW EDITION OF UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE
LABOR COLLEGE OFFERS UNION SKILLS COURSES
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Pat Gantt Featured on Today’s NWN Webcast
CSUEU President Pat Gantt is interviewed about the impact of nationwide public higher education layoffs in the latest edition of the National Workforce Network (NWN) webcast, which went live just this morning.
Cuts to university systems eliminate access for many working-class families and students, he says in his interview, which begins about six minutes into the webcast. Funding shortfalls and layoffs undercut the future workforce of many states and harm the long-term national economy by leaving the country without a prepared workforce.
NWN, always accessible from the bottom center of the CSUEU home page, premieres new webcasts every other Thursday morning. Sponsored by SEIU International and produced by SEIU 1000 staff, it’s a labor-focused online news network designed to connect middle-class families and individuals, labor organizations and their allies.
CSUEU Statement on the Debt Ceiling Deal
Last week, CSUEU was quick to release a statement about the debt ceiling deal that was reached just hours before the country would have gone into default.
“If the coming federal cuts adversely impact California’s revenue stream, then statewide trigger cuts could be generated, leading to mid-year cuts to the CSU in the millions, beyond the $650 million that has already been cut this year alone,” said CSUEU President Pat Gantt in the statement. “Above and beyond the question of CSU impacts, the bigger issue is that this legislation is morally wrong. It is indefensible to do nothing to help working families, and this package does not end the threat to the millions of children and seniors who rely on Medicaid and Medicare for their healthcare or the workers who care for them.”
Read the entire statement.
Read an August 10 San Francisco Chronicle article with details about trigger cuts.
Debt Deal Preserves Pell Grants for CSU Students
More than 140,000 California State University students will be able to receive Pell Awards of up to $5,550 following President Obama’s signing of a new debt ceiling bill on Tuesday, August 2. The measure provides specific protection in the discretionary budget to ensure that there will be sufficient funding for Pell.
The Budget Control Act sets aside $17 billion to sustain the need-based Pell Grant program over the next two fiscal years with $10 billion for fiscal year 2012 and $7 billion for fiscal year 2013.
CSU is the largest recipient of Pell Grants in the country and receives approximately $550 million each year in Pell awards for its students.
Read the CSU’s August 4 press release.
Communications Committee Seeks Photos from Each Chapter
The Communications Committee is planning the 2012 CSUEU calendar and would like to feature one group photo from each chapter as well as activist and member photos. Ideally, photos will show chapter officers and other activists at meetings, rallies, information activities, or other chapter activities. The idea is to show chapter activists whom the members at the chapters will recognize. Two chapters will be featured for each month. Each featured photo will be captioned with the chapter number and campus.
This is a statewide unity concept, and the committee wants every chapter to be involved. In order for this idea to work, chapters need to submit several high-resolution photos (up to 300 dpi) to Communications Committee Chair Ray Finnell or Communications Officer John Watson by September 15.
Communications Committee members strive to make the calendar functional, attention-getting, meaningful to members, and inexpensive to produce. The 2011 calendar’s fold-over format works well for those who need to carry the calendar with them, and it also can be hung on a wall, so the committee plans to use the same format for the 2012 version.
Although the committee has tried in the past to ensure that each chapter is represented, it hasn’t received photos from all chapters. Now is the time for all chapters to contribute. Please celebrate your chapter’s part in CSUEU by contributing to this project!
Wisconsin Voters Recall Two Right-Wing Legislators
Wisconsin working families won two of six recall elections on Tuesday, ousting incumbent state senators who backed Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s attacks on the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Democrat Jessica King defeated Republican incumbent Randy Hopper in Senate District 18 and Democrat Jennifer Shilling won over incumbent Republican state Sen. Dan Kapanke in Senate District 32. The districts with recalls were in largely rural areas that have consistently elected Republicans.
As the New York Times stated in a pro-union editorial yesterday, “They were trying to send a warning to Republican lawmakers around the country who are trying to break public employee unions. In that, they succeeded. Republicans will not admit this, but the numbers showed significant strength for Democrats even in the districts they lost—strength that could grow if lawmakers continue cutting spending and taxes while reducing the negotiating rights of working families.”
Read complete details in this August 10 AFC-CIO Now blog entry.
More Than 50 Cents Out of Every State Dollar Goes to Education
Two weeks ago, the California Budget Project released a Policy Basics report, “Where Do California’s Tax Dollars Go?”, pointing out that just over half the General Fund supports K-12 and higher education. It also explains that corrections spending has grown at more than four times the rate of General Fund spending as a whole since 1980-81.
Here’s an excerpt with more details:
In most years, slightly more than half of the state budget supports public schools and higher education, including community colleges, the CSU, the UC, and student financial aid. In 1980-81, for example, California spent $10.7 billion on education, equal to 50.5 cents out of every state dollar. In 2010-11, the state spent an estimated $47.5 billion on education, equal to 51.9 cents out of every state dollar. Specifically:
- 39.2 cents out of every dollar – $35.8 billion – supported elementary and secondary education in 2010-11, up from 35.3 cents out of every dollar – $7.4 billion – in 1980-81.
- 12.7 cents out of every dollar – $11.6 billion – supported higher education in 2010-11, down from 15.2 cents out of every dollar – $3.2 billion – in 1980-81.
New Edition of University Employee
The summer edition of University Employee is now available online. Produced by the CSUEU Communications Committee, it includes articles on the state budget, layoffs, and formation of a new CSUEU Lavender Caucus, along with employee profiles and updates from union committees and bargaining units.
Labor College Offers Online Union Skills Courses
The National Labor College (NLC), started in 1969 as part of the AFL-CIO, offers online courses for those who want to sharpen their union skills and learn how to be effective union organizers and contract negotiators. Fall courses in the Bonnie Ladin Union Skills Program, which provides tools for building a stronger union movement, begin next month.
The courses include Organizing I, Contract Negotiations in the Private Sector, Grievance Mediation, Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level I, and Secretary-Treasurers LM-2 Requirements. See the complete Bonnie Ladin Union Skills calendar, online registration, course descriptions, tuition information, and more.
Union members get a discount on tuition, and Union Privilege also sponsors a number of scholarships to help with tuition. Additional learning from work experience and apprenticeships can earn union members credits toward completing their degrees.
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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