Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where do things stand in our current contract negotiations with CSU?
A. After many bargaining sessions with the APC Bargaining Team, CSU’s proposals on salary fairness fall far short of the Mercer Report recommendations and what the dedicated professional staff of CSU deserve.
Many employees would be denied years of experience in their initial placement on the new salary step structure; CSU seeks the unilateral right to not implement the step system if they don’t receive additional funds on top of the nearly $5 billion received from the state each year.
CSU has proposed that any employee with an “unsatisfactory” performance evaluation from their supervisor shall be disqualified from receiving the step increase during that year.
Q. If CSU continues to insist on this unfair proposal, what options do we have?
A. Because working people and their representatives have fought for them, California has the most pro-employee labor and employment laws for public sector workers in the country. The right to strike free from any retaliation by your employer is protected by statute and through decisions of California courts, include the CA Supreme Court.
By law, CA public employers may not take any adverse action against employees for exercising their right to strike; the law applies equally to all employees, including temporary and probationary employees.
The CA Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) issues complaints against employers every day and is expert at seeing through phony “pretexts” that some employers try to put forward for their actions.
Q. What about health insurance benefits?
A. Just several years ago, a law was passed prohibiting CA public employers, including CSU, from cutting or suspending the health benefits of striking employees.
Q. Most Unit 4 employees (APC members) have never been on strike. How does it work?
A. Our goal as a union, along with the other CSU unions in our coalition, is to negotiate a contract that begins to resolve the staggering salary unfairness and inequity here at CSU.
We continue to hope that we will be able to achieve this goal without having to strike, which is a last resort. In fact, it is likely that our first job action later in the year will be a notice to CSU for a strike of limited duration, such as one or two days.
Q. In this scenario, what are Unit 4 employees expected to do?
A. All Unit 4 employees are expected to participate in the job action, including those in temporary and probationary positions.
Current non-members of the union are also expected to participate and perhaps be inspired to join their colleagues as full members of the union in the process.
Employees will peacefully picket on their campuses, engaging with students, their families and the media.
Q. Is a strike inevitable later in the year?
A. No, a strike is not inevitable. The APC Bargaining Team continues to work very hard to negotiate a contract that we can be proud of, one that begins to resolve the 20-year legacy of salary unfairness and inequity.
We are continuing to meet with CSU representatives. However, together with the other CSU unions, we must be prepared to take action to demonstrate our resolve to win a fair contract should that become necessary.
Q. How do I get more information if I have questions?
A. Reach out to APC union stewards on your campus. They can provide answers as well as direct you to the APC Labor Relations Department for further information. We will keep you updated via email and you may also keep checking the APC website for further information.