President's message

CSEA siblings,

Every issue of Focus tells a part of our story, and this issue tells a story of power. Not the kind that comes from titles or wealth, but the kind that comes from people standing together with a shared purpose. The accomplishments in these pages did not happen by chance. They happened because CSEA exists. They happened because our members, our staff, and our entire organization move forward with unity and determination.

We begin with a moment that will shape the future for every public employee in California. CSEA's own Troy Johnson has been elected and David Miller re-elected to the CalPERS Board, and that was only possible because CSEA members built the effort from the ground up. We educated our coworkers. We held conversations in break rooms and parking lots. We staffed phone banks day after day. Without this union, none of that would have happened. CSEA gave us the structure, the strategy, and the strength to influence an election that affects the retirement security of every classified employee. When we show up together through the power of our union, our voice becomes impossible to ignore.

This issue also highlights the tremendous outcome of our Juneteenth settlement. More than twenty-five thousand classified employees received the compensation they were owed because CSEA took action and stayed with it until the job was done. Members raised concerns, field staff investigated, our legal team built the case, and together we pushed forward. No individual acting alone could have achieved this outcome. Only a strong statewide union that brings together every chapter and every member can correct an injustice this large and deliver a result this meaningful.

These victories are not separate stories. They are the clearest proof of what CSEA makes possible. Our union creates the pathway. It provides the expertise and the resources. It gives every member the ability to stand with thousands of others and create change that none of us could accomplish alone. That is the real power of CSEA. It is the strength to turn collective action into real improvements in people’s lives.

As we close out the year and look ahead to what comes next, take pride in what we have achieved together. Let it inspire you for the work ahead. Our members are the heart of this Association. Our unity is our force. And when we stand together through the strength of CSEA, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.