OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

November 5, 2019

TimoThy P. WhiTe

Chancellor, California UniversiTy
40l Golden Shore

Long Beach, CA 90802

Dear Chancellor WhiTe,

As The California UniversiTy (CSU) negoTiaTes The nexT conTracTs wiTh iTs supporT
sTaff workforce, I urge The CSU To address a longsTanding inequiTy faced by dedicaTed
and skilled employees who are facing sTagnanT wages and declining markeT raTe
salaries due To a lack of meriT sTeps.

As you are aware, Assembly Bill 369 (Weber) moved Through The LegislaTure This year
wiTh biparTisan supporT, which would have provided annual meriT salary inTermediaTe
sTep adjusTmenTs for CSU supporT sTaff employees meeTing saTisfacTory performance
sfandards. This followed a similar legislaTive proposal lasT year. Building upon These
legislaTive efforTs, if is my expecTaTion ThaT The CSU Tackle This issue head on during
upcoming collecTive bargaining negoTiaTions.

In T996, The CSU halTed meriT salary sTeps for supporT and despiTe workers'
aTTemst To negoTiaTe increases, They have noT been reinsTaTed. Meanwhile, execuTive
and manager salaries have climbed creaTing a significanT hardship for The mosT loyal
supporT sTafT as well as a growing sense of inequaliTy on campuses. The Troubling
absence of meriT salary sTeps Takes The biggesT Toll on The mosT long?serving workers,
who fall furTher behind Their more recenle hired colleagues each year They serve our
sTudenTs. Moreover, The CSU is The only sTaTe agency ThaT does noT provide salary sTeps
To iTs sTaff.

The CSU is an economic engine for our sTaTe and Thanks in large measure To your
leadership, we are wiTnessing hisToric increases in The amounT of sTudenTs who
graduaTe. In order To susTain ThaT commiTmenT, we musT Take proper care of The Tens of
Thousands of supporT sTaff who represenT The backbone of The CSU's TwenTy-Three
campuses.

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 - (916) 445-2841


The upcoming negoTidTions should resuIT in on ogreemenT wiTh our labor ThoT
erdses The inversion gdp, provides soldry sTeps, and fairly and jusTiy compensoTes These
for Their hard work.

As long-Time CSU TrusTee, hove opprecidTed our ond know you shore my
commiTmenT To TreoTing our dedicoTed wiTh The digniTy respecT They deserve.

IT is my firm belief This woge inequiTy is long-overdue 0nd in line wiTh The
insTiTuTion?s values.

As you compIeT- The final year in your service as Choncellor of California?s
UniversiTy, know w- con work TogeTher on This impoernT gool.

Sincer Iy,


dein New!" . 
ou/vernor olifornid