Ruben Santos
Ruben Santos
Electrician working with a purpose
By Angelica Cabral, acabral@csea.com
Ruben Santos of Victor Elementary Chapter 236 steps up to the plate when he’s needed, and during this crisis, it’s no different.
Santos was named one of CSEA’s Members of the Year in 2019. He is an electrician in Victor Elementary School District and also serves as president of Chapter 236 and Regional Representative (RR) for Region 31. Despite the school closures, he’s currently still working and helping out around the Maintenance and Operations department when an essential task is assigned. He has also continued to be a strong leader for his chapter, organizing calls with the district via Zoom and making sure CSEA members are paid and protected.
“We were able to negotiate a time-and-a-half bill for all of our employees that are considered essential and 100 percent paid if you have to stay at home,” Santos said.
And his members know he’s just a phone call or email away if they have a question.
“They’re seeing that we are here for them, they’re seeing that we are here to protect their rights,” he explained. “It just has really shown what CSEA does for our members in times of crisis.”
Santos’ chapter has a mission statement that they follow, which is very indicative of the values they try to live by; “To spread and foster the spirit of unity, strength, and knowledge, provide support and encouragement to our members, instill a sense of pride and accountability, perpetuate union involvement and inspire new leaders, and, together, we are many voices united as one.”
Cindy Rael, a health assistant at Lomitas Elementary School, described how Santos sees potential in people and he brings it out in them.
Images by Joseph Gallagher
“They’re seeing that we are here for them, they’re seeing that we are here to protect their rights,” he explained. “It just has really shown what CSEA does for our members in times of crisis.”
“I could be an electrician in a construction site. But why not do it with a cause? Why not do it with a purpose? I’m an electrician here because my work has an impact on student success.”
“I was one of those. I came. I just wanted to sit back and watch, and he was like, ‘Maybe I see something,’” Rael said. “And he drew it out, and I became the secretary; and, again, I was so motivated I got really involved.”
One of the things that Santos is most known for, which all those who are asked about him mention, is his Career Day demonstration. Career Day typically falls at the beginning of March, so this year they were able to have the four-day event right before the closures.
Joe Pont, the district Supervisor of Maintenance and Grounds, said that Santos has props, as big as four feet tall, that show how energy can go from an outlet to a switch by running through copper.
“Not only does he show [the students], he lets them get involved. He actually asks them to go and plug something in,” Pont said. “He also has somebody else come up and actually run the switch. So, it’s not just sitting there learning. It’s getting involved and actually doing, which we all love.”
Career Day with classified employees shows students another option—that they don’t have to go to college to be successful, there are many things they can do with their lives.
“When they’re going to high school, and they’re hearing their counselors talk about college, that is another option,” Santos said. “There’s an option of being a classified employee that has great benefits to it.”
When he’s not on the job or conducting CSEA business, Santos organizes charity work in his community, which has temporarily been put on hold during self-isolation. Santos wants to be a better example of how to be a community member and leader. “Even just something as simple as a couple of hours on a Saturday and going, picking up trash in the fields. It’s huge,” he said. “And we get people honking at us and smiling and thanking us and just stuff like that, I think, goes a long way.” Santos wants his chapter to work to let classified staff know that they are important, and they play a major role in making sure their students go home happy and have a future. “I could be an electrician in a construction site. But why not do it with a cause?” he said. “Why not do it with a purpose? I’m an electrician here because my work has an impact on student success.” He would also like to give a shout out to the food service workers who are out on the frontlines during this crisis. “Our food service workers have shined super bright amongst this crazy time. They are out there every day serving our kids lunch,” Santos emphasized. “It’s a big reminder of why we’re here and why we do what we do; it’s for our students.”
“It's a big reminder of why we're here and why we do what we do; it's for our students.”