President's message

Ben Valdepeña, Association President

We achieve great things together.

It's hard to imagine a more challenging time, but I find reassurance in knowing that I am part of our union of brothers and sisters who take care of each other and achieve great things when we work together.

Wildfires continue to rage throughout California affecting many of our members. Please know we are here for you. Staff have been reaching out via text message to members each time a new fire erupts. Our Member Benefits team is ready to provide assistance at (866) 487-2732, and our Dorothy Bjork Assistance Fund committee is reviewing and approving applications every single day so we can get assistance to members as quickly as possible. It is important that your cell phone and personal email are up to date. You can call Member Benefits to update this information.

Text messages are just one example of how important it is that we communicate effectively and often. I know we all receive more email than we can handle these days. It's easy to just ignore them, but I need you to read the emails that come from your union -- both your chapters and CSEA – during these uncertain times. Each week, we provide important and sometimes critical information via Leadership Mail, emails to members, videos and information on our website. We do this to help keep you informed and up to date.


"We are working hard to make sure all means of communication are available to chapters and members, which includes our website."

Communication is especially critical for our chapters. To our Member Leaders, it's important to remember that keeping your members regularly informed of what's happening in your chapter is essential to your chapter's success. I can't stress enough how important this is and how much your members will appreciate the effort to keep them updated on chapter news.

We are working hard to make sure all means of communication are available to chapters and members, which includes our website. We understand chapters need their websites now more than ever, so we have prioritized building these along with the resources you are used to having available on our CSEA website. We are building the website quickly, but we also have a responsibility to build it right. While we are working on the website, if you need something that is currently not available, contact your Field Office for help.

Finally, this is a big election year, and we need everyone to exercise your right to vote. It's important to vote for candidates who support classified staff and our union.


"This election is critical in so many ways, so please register to vote, fill out your mail-in ballots and return them as soon as possible."

If you need proof, just look at what we achieved in this legislative session and especially the budget. We successfully lobbied for historic layoff protections for classified staff and full school funding for this school year. We were successful in having two of our bills signed into law: AB 2234, which strengthens your rights before personnel commissions; and SB 1159, which says that if you work at a worksite where there is an outbreak and you get COVID-19, the worker's compensation system will presume that you got sick at work instead of you having to prove you contracted COVID-19 at work. None of this would be possible if we hadn't campaigned for and helped elect officials who support our members and our cause.

To help you identify the candidates in your area that support your work and your rights, we've created a Voter's Guide on our website that includes the full list of CSEA-endorsed candidates and propositions.

This election is critical in so many ways, so please register to vote, fill out your mail-in ballots and return them as soon as possible. Together, we can make a difference for ourselves, our students and our future. In solidarity,

Ben Valdepeña, Association President

We achieve great things together.

It's hard to imagine a more challenging time, but I find reassurance in knowing that I am part of our union of brothers and sisters who take care of each other and achieve great things when we work together.

Wildfires continue to rage throughout California affecting many of our members. Please know we are here for you. Staff have been reaching out via text message to members each time a new fire erupts. Our Member Benefits team is ready to provide assistance at (866) 487-2732, and our Dorothy Bjork Assistance Fund committee is reviewing and approving applications every single day so we can get assistance to members as quickly as possible. It is important that your cell phone and personal email are up to date. You can call Member Benefits to update this information.

Text messages are just one example of how important it is that we communicate effectively and often. I know we all receive more email than we can handle these days. It's easy to just ignore them, but I need you to read the emails that come from your union -- both your chapters and CSEA – during these uncertain times. Each week, we provide important and sometimes critical information via Leadership Mail, emails to members, videos and information on our website. We do this to help keep you informed and up to date.


"We are working hard to make sure all means of communication are available to chapters and members, which includes our website."

Communication is especially critical for our chapters. To our Member Leaders, it's important to remember that keeping your members regularly informed of what's happening in your chapter is essential to your chapter's success. I can't stress enough how important this is and how much your members will appreciate the effort to keep them updated on chapter news.

We are working hard to make sure all means of communication are available to chapters and members, which includes our website. We understand chapters need their websites now more than ever, so we have prioritized building these along with the resources you are used to having available on our CSEA website. We are building the website quickly, but we also have a responsibility to build it right. While we are working on the website, if you need something that is currently not available, contact your Field Office for help.

Finally, this is a big election year, and we need everyone to exercise your right to vote. It's important to vote for candidates who support classified staff and our union.


"This election is critical in so many ways, so please register to vote, fill out your mail-in ballots and return them as soon as possible."

If you need proof, just look at what we achieved in this legislative session and especially the budget. We successfully lobbied for historic layoff protections for classified staff and full school funding for this school year. We were successful in having two of our bills signed into law: AB 2234, which strengthens your rights before personnel commissions; and SB 1159, which says that if you work at a worksite where there is an outbreak and you get COVID-19, the worker's compensation system will presume that you got sick at work instead of you having to prove you contracted COVID-19 at work. None of this would be possible if we hadn't campaigned for and helped elect officials who support our members and our cause.

To help you identify the candidates in your area that support your work and your rights, we've created a Voter's Guide on our website that includes the full list of CSEA-endorsed candidates and propositions.

This election is critical in so many ways, so please register to vote, fill out your mail-in ballots and return them as soon as possible. Together, we can make a difference for ourselves, our students and our future. In solidarity,

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Feature: Election 2020


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