President's message

Greetings CSEA siblings,

I have often heard that change is the only constant in life. CSEA certainly has seen significant change over its 97-year history, and with the recent resignation of Association President Shane Dishman, change has once again come to our great organization. Our Constitution & Bylaws require that if the position of Association President becomes vacant, CSEA’s 1st Vice President assumes the office of the Association President. While I did not expect to become Association President at this time, I am nevertheless proud to step into the role of leading our great union. With the incredible assistance of my fellow members of the Board of Directors, including Past President Ben Valdepeña, I have assumed the duties of the office and am embracing the responsibility entrusted to me. Because of officer term limits contained within our Constitution, leadership transition is not an unfamiliar process for CSEA. Our union has experienced efficient leadership transfers while it continued to meet the organization’s most essential functions – to grow and meet its representational responsibilities. Because of our past experiences in times like this, the lead article in this issue of Focus magazine is about how we grow our union by recruiting new members. “Strength in unity” is a phrase often made in CSEA, and for a good reason. As union brothers, sisters, and siblings, we are stronger when we are all united as one. To have our strongest voice, the most leverage at the bargaining table, and our best chance at improving our pay, working conditions, and benefits, we must have every classified employee on our side. Growing our union, however, is not just the responsibility of our union leaders; it is all of our responsibility. Whether inviting a colleague to a chapter meeting or just having a casual chat about membership benefits, we can all help grow our union and increase our negotiating strength. I encourage you to find a way to expand CSEA’s presence at your worksite and spread the word about CSEA, and in doing so, you will help advance our union’s mission of improving the lives of our members, our students, and our communities. And always remember that we are all in this together.