Just hours after CSEA management handed out cake and praised the hard work of AEU members at Wednesday’s Employee of the Year event; they entered negotiations and demanded takeaways from all AEU members.
Last year, AEU members worked harder than ever to represent CSEA members in chapters throughout the state and to lead the successful campaign to pass Proposition 30. CSEA President Allan Clark declared that the days of concessions were over for CSEA members. “We need to restore programs, put an end to furloughs, restore pay cuts, bring classified employees back to work,” he said.
Which CSEA are we dealing with?
As AEU labor reps bargain to secure better pay and benefits for CSEA members, they are being asked to accept reductions and takeaways from their own employer. It is an ironic hypocrisy for a labor union that prides itself on championing the rights of workers.
CSEA is asking all AEU members to pay up to 5% out-of-pocket for their retirement benefits. CSEA is also asking for punitive cap on health benefits for active AEU members and retirees. And that’s just the beginning.
So, which CSEA is representing these anti-worker values? It’s not the CSEA rank and file members. It’s not the local member leaders. It’s not even the members on the state board of directors. It is CSEA’s upper-level management. They are lead by Director of Field Operations Keith Pace. Their chief spokesperson is former Field Director Patrick Prezioso, who came out of retirement for negotiations. Also at the table is Chief Financial Officer Jeff Kumataka, Chief Counsel Michael Clancy, Human Resources Director Brian Schroeder, Communications Director Frank Polito, Rancho Cucamonga Field Office Director Denise Jensen, Fresno Field Office Director Michael Parks and Executive Manager Chris Swanson.
For the past seven years, AEU has shared the pain of budget cuts for CSEA members. Now, as the funding for schools has finally begun to stabilize, the message from CSEA management is still based on concessions. Yet, they seem puzzled that AEU members want more for themselves and their families than cuts.
After all, they did hand out cake.
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