Many people ask me: why do you want to run for CSUEU President again? That is a good question and I have a pretty good answer: I want to continue to serve the members and build the CSUEU into to a model union in California.
The CSUEU has faced its share of challenges over the years as we evolved with collective bargaining within CSEA, were successful in getting fair share fees, incorporated in 2005 as the CSUEU and started crafting our own identity as a union. I have been involved since 1991 and enjoyed the successes as well as the challenges along the way.
I was there when we took a stand against performance pay and worked hard to remove it from the contract after an implementation by the CSU in 1996. I was there when we got a fair share bill signed by Gray Davis in 1999 that became effective in January 2000. The CSU Division of CSEA was the first CSU union to start collecting the fees. We were the only union that held fair share fee forums on the CSU campuses to present the organization to the fee payers and address issues. I was one of the main proponents of that effort as the Unit 9 chair along with the rest of the leadership. It was a bold move, but the right thing to do!
The current budget crisis and cuts to the CSU are mind numbing. However, the CSUEU moved quickly to engage the membership on the issue of furloughs in a very short time frame with polls, surveys and a member advisory vote. This effort was not a single act of one person but that of a unified body of leaders dedicated to its members. I want this effort to continue and want to build upon it every way possible.
One area I would like to concentrate on for the next two years is leadership development. The CSUEU must reinvest in its leadership and activists. Too often organizations take for granted the skills and experience of their leaders only to realize huge gaps when people retire or leave. I want to ensure that the CSUEU never suffers this gap. We need to protect ourselves from burnout and find new ways to get new activists. We also must take steps to build a better model to prevent some conflicts that crop up and threaten our union from within its ranks.
I ask for you vote on June 28, 2009
In Union,
Pat Gantt
Comments