CSU Staff Rally in Hayward for Pay Raises as Contract Talks Continue
California State University employees rallied for pay increases at several campuses on Tuesday, as management and union representatives in Hayward negotiated a contract for about 15,000 staffers statewide.
A vocal group of groundskeepers, clerical, academic support and other employees at the nation’s largest four-year public university system cheered after an organizer yelled “Show us the money!” to the university’s bargaining team heading into a session at a Cal State East Bay library room.
Several longtime employees in blue union T-shirts told KQED they resented that the university, which has struggled with multi-billion budget deficits and layoffs in recent years, approved controversial pay raises for campus presidents and top administrators last fall and winter. CSU argued its executive compensation had fallen behind compared to other public universities.
“Who does the job is us, the people, the 9-to-5. So, why don’t we get a yearly raise for the cost of living?” said Carmen Crum, admissions and outreach coordinator for a program supporting low-income, first-generation college students. “The problem here is that staff don’t get raises — higher-ups do.”
“We just want our fair shake,” said Jerry Gibbs, a student services coordinator handling student transcripts. He has worked at CSU for 25 years. “Everything’s going up around us, right? Gas prices, property taxes. It’s California.”
The CSU Employees Union, which represents a total of about 36,000 university workers, said it’s pushing to limit the use of contract and temporary staffers.
But the top priority since bargaining began in January remains members’ compensation.
CSU’s budget woes have arguably lightened for the 2026-27 academic year after securing $710 million in new operating funds — mostly from increased state funding, but also tuition revenue and enrollment growth. The university plans to dedicate more than half of those funds to compensation and health benefits, according to a Board of Trustees presentation last month.
“The CSU is committed to bargaining in good faith with CSUEU and achieving an agreement that recognizes and supports the work of our staff in fulfilling CSU’s mission,” Amy Bentley-Smith, a CSU spokesperson, said in a statement.
The protest ahead of Tuesday’s bargaining session comes as CSU, which enrolled more than 470,000 students at its 22 universities last year, is meeting with multiple units on new or recurring contracts covering tens of thousands in its workforce, including faculty, skilled trades and student workers.