Teamsters Local 2010 members hit the picket lines at CSU Stanislaus enduring wind and rain to join workers across all 22 CSU campuses in a statewide strike over what the union calls a broken promise.
The strike took place Feb. 17 to 20. Stemming from a 3% raise and step pay increases that workers say were guaranteed in their contract last July.
According to Teamsters, these promises were taken off the table when the CSU reopened bargaining, leading the union to file an unfair labor practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board regarding this issue.
Clyde Hefley, a Building Service Engineer who has routinely performed HVAC work at Stan State for the last four years, was direct about why he was out there.
“We’re not getting what we were promised. They haven’t given us a lot of raises in the past, and we need to catch up a little bit, and every time there’s always something that stops that,” Hefley said.
He further elaborated that to him, it’s not just about the money.
“We just want the university to be fair to us,” he said. “We take care of the buildings, the equipment that takes care of the students, and we just basically want to be treated fairly, like anyone does.”
What frustrates him the most is the numbers. Campus presidents across the state have reportedly received some of the largest pay increases in recent time, while workers were told there isn’t enough to cover the contractually agreed-upon 3% step increases.
“Here they are, on one hand, saying we have no money,” he said. “On the other hand, the presidents throughout the state have gotten some of the biggest increases that they’ve ever gotten. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Robert Goucher, a Lead Building Service Engineer with 13 years at the university, was also on the line.
“You can’t operate these buildings, you can’t operate without heating and cooling, without running water, without electricity, without lights,” Goucher said.
He goes on to explain why the situation is so frustrating to him.
“The wages kind of just stay stagnant for everyone, and especially for us and all the guys who take care of the university,” he said.
This issue hits home for him as he has a son in college and pays tuition.
“It’s kind of ridiculous when admin and leadership are giving themselves raises but then telling the students we got to raise your tuition, and we’re broke, and we have no money for anything, but at the same time, we want more from you,” he said.
Emily Pacheco, a Teamsters Local 2010 representative assigned to Stan State for the strike, said most people don’t realize what goes into pulling off a walkout at even one campus.
She was out before dawn every morning, setting up signs, running check-ins and making sure workers knew where to be.
“We don’t get money from big corporations,” Pacheco said. “We don’t have donors or philanthropists that just give to the unions. We organize, and we have dues-paying members, so we can take action.”
She shared that these fights have a personal impact.
“I know that I’m fighting for people to get paid what they’re worth,” she said. “I actually have my daughter out here. She sees what I do, and hopefully, this trickles down to her.”
Before the strike began, CSU Stanislaus sent students an email stating that classes and services would continue as normal. It made no mention of the contract dispute or why workers were walking out.
CSU issued a statement calling the union’s claims false and urging Teamsters to return to the table. The union sees it differently.
“CSU decided to use a loophole to reopen the contract,” Pacheco said. “But that doesn’t give them the right not to pay their workers what they agreed to.”
