CSUEU E-News: April 28, 2011
Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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CALL TO ACTION: CSULA RALLY MAY 4
CONNECT WITH CSUEU: FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, TWITTER
CHICO CHAPTER PARTICIPATES IN LABOR RALLY
STAND UP FOR CALIFORNIA
FAULTY PEW REPORT PAINTS DARK PENSION PICTURE
TODAY IS WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY
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Call to Action: CSULA Rally on Wednesday, May 4
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, be sure to attend a rally on the CSULA campus this Wednesday, May 4, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., to show your support of the CSUEU bargaining team as it begins contract negotiations with CSU administration.
Team members will discuss what’s on the table and what we can do to protect our rights. This special event takes place on the main walkway in front of the PE Building. 
“I encourage everyone to come out and support our bargaining team’s efforts,” says VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks. “The last thing the CSU wants is a workforce that’s paying attention, so let’s pay attention.”
For details, contact CSULA Chapter 311 Vice President Diana Balli.
Connect with CSUEU on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
It’s easier than ever to connect with CSUEU: the union now has a presence on three of the most popular social networking sites—Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
On Facebook, where we’re listed as “CSU Employees Union,” you can find photos, videos and links to relevant articles. More than 100 followers have “liked” us. Please join them!
On YouTube, uploaded and favorited videos and slide shows are available, covering rallies, protests and other actions over the last couple of years.
By following us on Twitter, you’ll be the first to know whenever pertinent items are posted to the web, since you’ll get a tweet as soon as new items are available. Over 150 people have subscribed so far, and the number keeps growing.
For nearly two years, chapter stewards and other leaders have been able to discuss union issues via special forums on the Activist, a secure web site launched in the summer of 2009 as a resource for CSUEU activists. If you’re a steward, log in and join the discussion! If you have questions about your password or other details, contact John Watson for assistance.
“We want to reach out to our represented employees and beyond by every means possible,” says Communications Committee Chair Ray Finnell, “and certainly that includes using social media as effectively as possible. We encourage everyone to check out and participate in all of the union’s recently launched social media sites.”
Chico Chapter Participates in Labor Rally
Last Saturday afternoon, a dozen members of CSU Chico Chapter 302 joined hundreds of labor supporters for a large rally at the Chico City Plaza to push back the right wing mission to break unions, do away with regulations, reduce taxes for the wealthy and privatize public services.
CSUEU members met beforehand to create signs with such slogans as “I’m a custodian – why do we always get cut first? Defend public education!”, “Unions – the people who brought you the weekend!” and “If it can happen in Wisconsin, it can happen here!”
“It was invigorating to work together with so many other organizations that understand the importance of union representation for public workers,” said Chapter 302 President Pat Heath. “Only through this kind of combined education campaign can we hope to successfully counter well-funded efforts to undermine collective bargaining rights.”
Featuring two hours of talks and music, the event drew participants from throughout the region. Participating unions included the California Nurse’s Association, California Teachers Association, Communications Workers of American, and the AFL-CIO Labor Council of Butte and Glenn Counties.
Stand Up for California
SEIU State Council has just launched standupforca.org, a new web site promoting the idea that the state budget should be fair to all, no matter how deep the cuts might be due to the current budget crisis. It advocates working together across the aisle to avoid slashing budgets for education, seniors' safety, and jobs in our community, among many endangered sectors. Check it out for the latest state budget news and for calls to action that you can take to help make sure we have a fair state budget.
Faulty Pew Report Paints Dark Pension Picture
On Tuesday, the PEW Center published “The Widening Gap: The Great Recession’s Impact on State Pension and Retiree Health Care Costs (PDF),” a report on pensions that, unfortunately, uses outdated, skewed facts and figures to reach the conclusion that state pension plans around the country are in jeopardy and in need of reform.
As AFSCME President Gerald McEntee pointed out in a statement released on Tuesday, the report reflects ancient history, distorts the true state of public pension funds and is of limited use for anyone hoping to make informed public policy. In many cases, the report provides a snapshot of the state of investments in June, 2009, which was near the depth of the market. Pension payments have been, and will continue to be, a small part of state and local government expenditures.
Adds John Adler of the SEIU Retirement Security Campaign, “PEW has admitted that the more recent FY 2010 data from the 16 states that have released it show that pension funding levels are stabilizing. They said that most states expect a rate of return of approximately eight percent, and over the last 20 years their investment returns have met or exceeded that rate.”
“These types of misleading reports add fuel to the fire of the pension reform movement,” explains CSUEU President Pat Gantt. “We need to be vigilant about countering such misinformation before it begins to work its way into proposed legislation and bargaining talks.”
Today is Workers Memorial Day
Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions, but the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are injured or diseased because of their jobs. Unions across North America remember these workers today, April 28, Workers Memorial Day. An international parallel, also observed today, is the annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
In the U.S., the first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it’s the anniversary of the legislation that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada that was established in the early 1980s. Every year, people in hundreds of communities and at worksites recognize workers who have been killed or injured on the job. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning. View an informational AFL-CIO flyer (PDF).
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