University Housing and Residential Life Custodian, Letty Babra, is protesting with the CSUEU to advocate for change on campus, located in the quad on Dec. 4. Charlotte LoCicero | Long Beach Current

Associated Students, Inc., Beach Shops student workers and CSU faculty assembled outside the Long Beach State University Bookstore to advocate for wage increases, better working conditions and scheduling accommodations for all on-campus workers.

Student workers from ASI and Beach Shops announced on November 21 that they were forming a union.

With the support of the California State University Employee Union, student workers believe that “with a union, we will be able to shape our work lives in a way that will not only benefit us but also the future of all the student workers ahead of us,” they said in a statement. 

 The CSUEU represents over ​​16,000 CSU staff and student assistants throughout all 23 Cal State Universities, working with CSU employees for “salary structure, workplace environment concerns and classification standards,” as stated on the CSUEU Long Beach chapter website.

The rally was run by the members of the California Faculty Association Long Beach State chapter, along with additional CFA union members.

Passing students were encouraged to approach the union’s booth, learn about the movement, and join other speakers in discussing their experiences working for ASI, Beach Shops and the CSU.

“We make $16.50 [an hour] minimum wage,” said Giselle Garcia, a second-year social work major and a student employee for Parkside Dining Hall. “Fast food workers make way more money than we do, and if we’re not working the same jobs sometimes we’re working more, or even doing different stuff. We’re open all day, so it sucks to not get paid as much as other people.” 

The minimum wage for fast-food workers in California is currently $20 an hour, according to the Department of Industrial Relations. 

Additionally, on-campus workers are requesting parking accommodations because they currently pay for regular student parking and don’t receive designated parking areas, even though they are considered campus employees.

“I have to pay my own rent and parking permit; a lot of workers, they commute and it’s a little harder for us to be affording that type of stuff,” Garcia said.

Garcia also spoke about the unreliable work schedule and lack of job security for student workers. Garcia said they aren’t sure how much money they will make throughout each week or if schedule change requests will result in being asked to resign.

“It kind of feels like you can just get fired, and you don’t really have any respect as a student assistant,” said Jada Payne, a second-year African Studies and Cinematic Arts major, who is also a student assistant at the Parkside Dining Hall. 

Payne works alongside Garcia, and they both hope to spread awareness about the CSUEU and the issues on campus workers are facing, “because we support them [non-student workers], and they should support us in return,” Garcia said.

Among the CSUEU and CFA members were representatives from the CSULB Divest organization, including Marcus Bode, a fourth-year major in Women and Gender Sexuality Studies and Psychology. 

“There should be a level of solidarity that we all feel as students who are paying tuition costs that are rising every single semester,” Bode said. “We don’t see those returns from those increased costs back to students and we certainly don’t see it coming back to our fellow student workers.”

Aside from students, campus union staff also showed up to support the students’ rally.

“The president, chancellor, board of trustees, the executives at the ASI Beach Shops, they need to give the workers what they deserve and pay them what they deserve,” said Ray Santiago, a custodian at CSULB and one of the union organizers at the rally.