A new California Budget Project backgrounder, "Steady Climb: State Corrections Spending in California" (PDF), looks at state spending on corrections, which has increased by almost 1,500 percent in the past generation, far outpacing the growth in state General Fund spending. "What would the CSU look like, and how much better off would our state economy be if there had been a 1,500 percent increase in public higher education instead of corrections during this period?" asks CSUEU President Pat Gantt. "In recent years, three strikes and the politics of fear ensured that building prisons became a mandate and not a choice. Across the country, three strikes-type legislation has been championed by the Corrections Corporation of America, and conservative politicians have used it to get tough on crime at any cost-with nationwide public higher education ending up cut in almost direct proportion to the resulting growth in corrections."   

This September 13 Modesto Bee article and this September 14 Turlock Journal story cover a large rally on September 12 in support of laid-off CSU Stanislaus employees and of CSUEU negotiators who met with management on September 12-13 to try to mitigate those layoffs. Photos of the event are available in the CSUEU Photo Gallery.   

On Sept. 9, 2011, the CSUEU bargaining team finished another three days of contract negotiations with representatives of the CSU at the Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach.   

San Diego chapter rallies for tax severance bill, Gov. Brown signs university foundations transparency bill, Lt. Gov. Newsom forms university funding working group, and more!   

This  FAQ explains why voters need to be educated about this dangerous measure, which has qualified for the fall 2012 ballot.   

In this September 2 Sacramento Bee opinion piece, two California Budget Project leaders argue that federal and state budget cuts are shortsighted, in part because they're decimating such public services as education. They state, "Private sector job growth has picked up in California, but these gains have been partly offset by the disappearance of public sector jobs, especially in education. In fact, in the past three years, the state lost public sector jobs at a rate more than double the national average."   

The latest version of CSU's Library Services Specialist (LSS) standards is now linked from CSUEU's LSS News page. With the recent implementation of the new LSS classification standards, it’s important for impacted employees to update their position descriptions as soon as possible, certainly before the September 30 deadline, if they haven’t done so within the last 12 months. To get on a mailing list providing LSS news updates, sign up online.   

Contract negotiations continue, proposed ballot initiative would limit contributions to union Political Action Committees, pre-register now for the CSEA Women's Conference, and more!   

Labor Day celebrates 100-plus years of union history and accomplishments. Learn more about Labor Day 2011 at this special site.   

In this August 22 article, Time details the deterioration of the Master Plan for Higher Education, stating, "As the state continues to strip its schools' budgets, it's seen as less of a role model for how to use education to build a strong economy...Many say the first-rate system that resulted from the plan was a major reason why California became the eighth largest economy on the planet."