Student workers protested for higher wages the last Saturday of August in a string of booths in front of student housing building 16, Mariposa Hall. In an attempt to draw the university’s attention, they passed out flyers and demanded that student workers be offered an adequate wage and work benefits.
The protest began early Saturday morning in the sticky valley heat. There was a small crowd and students scattered all around campus in bright blue t-shirts.
Around Mariposa Hall, dozens of CSU Employees Union staff and student assistants were openly fighting for better support from CSU leadership. Students and staff held placards reading “Stand with Staff and Student Assistants” and “Tell CSU to Support Workers and Students!”
The CSU Employees Union represents all of the faculty and staff members of the CSUN campus, such as the administration, custodial employees, nurses and information technology workers. Additionally, Cal Matters, states that there are about 13,000 student assistants across the 23 CSUs.
Student assistants work side by side with limited hours, and sometimes do the same amount of work as staff members, but without any of the benefits such as sick leave.
A few student employees, including student assistant Fatima Gutierrez, voiced frustrations about cutting budgets and not getting the same benefits as other staff members.
“We want to be treated equally as every other staff member,” Gutierrez said. “We all do the same work.”
A study done by Mercer Consulting, which reviewed the CSU staff compensation programs from two years ago, found that CSU staff are paid 12% less than staff in other institutions across the nation, something that was referenced in the flyers handed out by volunteers participating in the protest.
“A lot of my coworkers have two jobs because of how much we didn’t get paid,” said Carolina Guzman, a student assistant.
Another student assistant, Ismael Lorzo Jr., expressed his gratitude to the university, but also pointed out that it could be doing more for the workers, because they deserve more.
“We get treated well, but we aren’t paid enough,” Lorzo Jr. said. “My boss treats me well, but not everyone might have the same experience as me. Students are relying on this job just so they can live.”
As for the CSU faculty, EdSource states that they are getting paid the median amount, which is not any different from their counterparts at other universities across the nation. But per the article, a large percentage of these workers disagreed, saying they weren’t paid enough. Only a few members said they were paid justly.
EdSource also mentions how the salaries of CSU faculty don’t reflect California’s high cost of living. Student workers in the protest believe their salaries don’t either.
Nataly Torres, a student worker, says she and the others on strike are fighting for a reasonable salary that can cover the costs of their living expenses, so they don’t have to endure the stress of working outside of campus.
“We’re fighting to form a union for student workers and we have collected thousands and thousands of union cards signed,” Torres said. “…All we want is for CSU to stop the delay so we can vote in our election.”
