Talking Points for Lobby Day

Vicky McLeod, Chair of the CSUEU Legislative Committee, has sent out a tentative list of talking points and a tentative agenda for Lobby Day. Both of these may change when the Legislative Committee meets on Sunday. CSUEU Lobby Day is March 3-4, 2008.

Talking points (tentative):

The Economy: Higher Education is part of the solution to a troubled economy. Cuts to the CSU undermine California’s economy and revenue to the state.

• Every dollar the State invests in the CSU directly generates $4.41 in spending per year.
• In 2003, the CSU, students, and graduates generated $3.11 billion in tax revenue.
• Cuts to the CSU will reduce Staff retention and undermine trained staff, which in turn reduces services to students.
• The CSU suffered layoffs from prior fiscal cuts and remaining Staff absorbed responsibilities of retirees and non-filled positions.
• Between 1985-2004, the number of students in the CSU increased by 25%. The number of faculty members increased by 18%. The number of management employees increased by a staggering 65%. Yet, the number of employees represented by CSUEU increased by only 3%.
• The CSU campuses (23) generate more than 200,000 jobs.
• The CSU educates the bulk of California’s work force in key industries.
  

  (% of degrees granted in California)
  87% of teachers	87% of social workers
  51% of engineers	82% of public administrators
  64% of nurses	65% of business professionals
  89% of criminal justice	52% of agricultural professionals
  (police and firefighters)	44% of life scientists

• The CSU is the largest education system in the United States, which graduates nearly 90,000 students each year.
• The CSU awards bachelor’s degrees.
  

  % of degrees granted in California
  58% of Latinos	53% of Native Americans
  52% of African Americans	45% of White/Caucasians
  39% of Asians and Pacific Islanders

• The CSU has not recovered from the $500 million budget cut from 2002-05.

Links:

• Lobby Day Agenda - tentative [Word document]
• Lobby Day FAQ
• CSUEU Legislative Committee
• Sacramento Travel Information
• Union Travel Tips

Previous Unit 9 News Posts:

• Lobbying Locally (February 25, 2008 - Unit 9 News)
• Lobby Day Information (February 25, 2008 - Unit 9 News)
• Lobby Day Signup Deadline Today (February 25, 2008 - Unit 9 News)
• Lobby Day: March 3-4, 2008 (February 25, 2008 - Unit 9 News)