Amidst the liveliness of Meet the Clubs on Tuesday, Sept. 8, members of the CSU Employee Union (CSUEU) gathered in the rain to advocate for fair pay for CSU employees.
CSUN staff members in association with CSUEU met on the steps ready for the demonstration scheduled for 12 p.m. In the rain, and the multiple events happening on campus, only around ten participants showed up.
The group discussed how they should approach sharing their message, quickly came to an agreement, and then dispersed across the Library lawn to pass out flyers and speak with students and community members about the push against CSU management’s salary offers.
CSUEU union organizer and CSUN employee Matthew Lang noted that it was an unusually low turnout given the circumstances.
“We intended to protest, but because of the weather, we decided to scale it back,” said Lang.
CSUEU is a labor union representing employees and student workers across all CSU schools. The union’s website says “We’re Bargaining For Dignity, Stability, And A Future At CSU.”
CSUEU’s current focus is to get through to CSU management to pass their proposals of salary raises. Since May, CSU has been in negotiations with the unions regarding the salaries for the fiscal year 2026-27.
The most recent proposal by the CSUEU bargaining team was submitted Sept. 2, which includes a 7% salary increase effective July 1, 2026, and a 5% salary increase effective July 1, 2027.
The last update of bargaining steps published on the CSU labor and employee relations site is from July 17, 2026, from the very beginning of the negotiations.
“For both CSUEU and the Teamsters, the CSU’s initial proposal included full implementation of salary steps, identified by each union as a top priority. It is important to recognize that this was the CSU’s opening offer. Additional bargaining sessions are already scheduled, which will provide the parties with further opportunities to continue negotiating.”
Earlier in the year, CSUN staff members across unions assembled to demand pay raises promised in their union contracts by the CSU system.
“We were promised a step system, which would create predictable salary movement in our last contract, and the CSU decided not to implement that,” said Lang
Negotiations between the CSU and staff members have been stagnant ever since, causing the tension and uproar that has begun to fester into the protests that are seen today.
“We’re just asking for something that will keep us abreast of the cost of living,” said Lang.
These negotiations are a crucial part of CSUEU’s mission in fighting for fair pay.
“We’re here year-round. I think that is also something that even the faculty don’t understand, they’re gone for the summer,” said Lang. “They come back, and you know, they’re sometimes surprised that we’re here all year. But it’s a year-round job. There’s a lot that goes into keeping the university running.”
