California State University students have officially created the largest undergraduate student union in United States history. The union vote, which ended Feb. 22, passed with 97% of CSU students workers voting yes.
20,000 student assistants across the 23 CSU campuses will now join the CSU Employees Union (CSUEU) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as part of CSUEU/SEIU 2579. This joint union currently represents 16,000 CSU support staff and nearly 2 million SEIU members. The undergraduate union will soon be negotiating for new contracts with the CSU, including better pay and affordable parking.
The vote has been in the works for over a year, stemming from a belief that student assistants should be recognized for their work and receive benefits similar to what CSU full-time staff are offered.
As new union members, CSU student assistants will “receive training to be more knowledgeable about their rights as workers [and] how to step up as worksite Stewards so they can enforce their contract,” according to CSUEU Communications Officer Khanh Weinberg.
The CSUEU is asking students to fill out this survey to let the union know what other benefits and issues they would like to see addressed.