{"id":85444,"date":"2025-12-07T21:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/85444\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T21:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:54:09","slug":"asi-beach-shops-employees-and-csueu-members-rally-for-student-worker-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/85444\/","title":{"rendered":"ASI, Beach Shops employees and CSUEU members rally for student worker rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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 <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Student workers from ASI and Beach Shops announced<\/a> on November 21 that they were forming a union. <\/p>\n

With the support of the California State University Employee Union<\/a>, student workers believe that \u201cwith 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,\u201d they said in a statement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0The CSUEU represents over \u200b\u200b16,000 CSU staff and student assistants throughout all 23 Cal State Universities, working with CSU employees for \u201csalary structure, workplace environment concerns and classification standards,\u201d as stated on the CSUEU Long Beach chapter website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rally was run by the members of the California Faculty Association Long Beach State chapter<\/a>, along with additional CFA union members.<\/p>\n

Passing students were encouraged to approach the union\u2019s booth, learn about the movement, and join other speakers in discussing their experiences working for ASI, Beach Shops and the CSU.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe make $16.50 [an hour] minimum wage,\u201d said Giselle Garcia, a second-year social work major and a student employee for Parkside Dining Hall. \u201cFast food workers make way more money than we do, and if we\u2019re not working the same jobs sometimes we\u2019re working more, or even doing different stuff. We\u2019re open all day, so it sucks to not get paid as much as other people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The minimum wage for fast-food workers in California is currently $20 an hour, according to the Department of Industrial Relations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, on-campus workers are requesting parking accommodations because they currently pay for regular student parking and don\u2019t receive designated parking areas, even though they are considered campus employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to pay my own rent and parking permit; a lot of workers, they commute and it\u2019s a little harder for us to be affording that type of stuff,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

Garcia also spoke about the unreliable work schedule and lack of job security for student workers. Garcia said they aren\u2019t sure how much money they will make throughout each week or if schedule change requests will result in being asked to resign.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of feels like you can just get fired, and you don\u2019t really have any respect as a student assistant,\u201d said Jada Payne, a second-year African Studies and Cinematic Arts major, who is also a student assistant at the Parkside Dining Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Payne works alongside Garcia, and they both hope to spread awareness about the CSUEU and the issues on campus workers are facing, \u201cbecause we support them [non-student workers], and they should support us in return,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be a level of solidarity that we all feel as students who are paying tuition costs that are rising every single semester,\u201d Bode said. \u201cWe don\u2019t see those returns from those increased costs back to students and we certainly don\u2019t see it coming back to our fellow student workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from students, campus union staff also showed up to support the students\u2019 rally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Ray Santiago, a custodian at CSULB and one of the union organizers at the rally. <\/p>\n