Members, Directors Vote to Negotiate Furloughs to Mitigate Layoffs

The message below was sent out this evening from headquarters with the subject line FURLOUGH UPDATE: FOR BROAD DISTRIBUTION.
Short version: Members voted 83% in favor of negotiating furloughs to mitigate layoffs, so we will contact the CSU to begin bargaining.

CSUEU Colleagues:

In a series of advisory votes over the last week, CSUEU members have clearly indicated their support for the concept of two furlough days per month, as proposed earlier this month by the Chancellor's Office.

The results of the votes taken at the chapter level are reflected in the chart below. An online survey and a scientific poll came to the same result: CSUEU-represented employees support the concept of furloughs at the rate of approximately 82 percent in favor.

The next step will be for CSUEU leadership to notify the Chancellor's office that the CSUEU has accepted their offer to come to the table to negotiate furloughs. Negotiations for a side letter could begin as early as next week.

We have received an unprecedented number of suggestions and concerns related to a potential furlough program and will convey these messages to the bargaining team. The CSUEU bargaining team is committed to working on an agreement which will reflect these ideas to the fullest extent possible. We will not reach an agreement until we have a clear understanding as to how the furlough program will impact our members.

We are gratified by the level of involvement and activity on the part of all chapter leaders and represented employees. Over 5700 votes were tallied at the chapter level, and over 5800 individuals completed online surveys. Everyone worked hard to get the message out and exhibited an unprecedented willingness to share their opinions and thoughts about this issue.

In a meeting this afternoon, the CSUEU Board of Directors voted unanimously to accept the will of the members and voted to direct the bargaining team to begin negotiations with the Chancellor's Office. We will continue to keep an open dialogue with you and encourage you to continue to dialogue with your campus leaders by sharing your opinions and creative solutions.

Chapter	Furloughs	Layoffs/ No furlough	Abstain
301 – Humboldt	177	30
302 – Chico	168	45
303 – Sacramento	359	69
304 – Sonoma	143	34
305 – San Francisco	374	46
306 – East Bay	163	32
307 – San Jose	263	37
308 – Stanislaus	200	20
309 – Fresno	88	3
310 – Bakersfield	102	24
311 – Los Angeles	146	52	3
312 – Northridge	318	82	1
313 – Chancellor's Office	128	10
314 – Dominguez Hills	128	20
315 – Long Beach	288	122
316 – San Luis Obispo	331	89	1
317 – Fullerton	325	39
318 – San Diego	285	88
319 – Pomona	291	41
320 – San Bernardino	167	73	8
321 – San Marcos	164	19
322 – Monterey Bay	101	15	1
323 – California Maritime Academy	39	5
324 – Channel Islands	128	10
Totals	4876	1005	14
Percentage	82.71%	17.05%	1.36%

In union,

Phillip Coonley, Chief of Staff
California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)