Side-Quest: CSEA Local 77 Organizing
Background
@Tanner and I met last week to talk about the Side-Quest we approved at the previous General Meeting:
General Meeting Notes
(Tanner feel free to correct any of this; going off of memory). CSEA Local 77 has ~1200 members, but very low engagement, with only 12-15 people attending meetings or participating in union activity. This has led to the leadership and negotiation teams to be cautious and accommodating to the district, being satisfied with incremental 2% raises while maintaining “friendly” relationships with the district.
There is rank-and-file frustration with working conditions and especially pay. Tanner previously built strong momentum among bus attendants behind a demand letter; although his efforts ended up being redirected at the end. We both felt like current union leadership means well, and with a boost to member activity, they could be convinced to leverage that for bigger gains. So this presents WCU with an opportunity to help energize Local 77.
WCU could help in the following ways: amplify rank-and-file messaging, increase turnout to meetings, and introduce a political message beyond wage increases. There is also a board meeting on October 7th, 2025; if WCU can have a presence in support, it would help build initial credibility and help get this off the ground quicker.
Key Takeaways & Decisions
- Build a discreet caucus across worksites/job classes.
- Be explicitly clear that this is not against CSEA leadership, but aims to strengthen bargaining leverage. The leadership can keep certain aspects of the campaign at arm’s-length if they desire, but should coordinate to use member agitation as leverage at the table.
- Organize as WCU openly, but maintain message discipline for the Lodi audience. Focus on student safety, stability, retention, and basic dignity/fairness at work.
LUSD Workers Deserve a Living Wage
Campaign Frame (all this is placeholder)
- Slogan: Invest in Staff; Invest in Students (really should come up with something better!)
- Hashtag: #LivingWageForLUSD
- Core message:
- A budget is a statement of priorities. The LUSD budget prioritizes administrators and consultants over frontline staff who make schools work and the students who learn there. Our fight is to reclaim public resources for the public good.
- Low wages are not an accident; they are a strategy used to reduce costs and discipline labor. We win by making it more costly for the district to ignore us than to meet our demands.
- Public message guidelines:
- Lead with kids, stability, and retention; stick with plain language and verified numbers.
- Workers should be able to be neighbors; paying a living wage keeps them connected to the community.
- We shouldn’t just stick with messaging around wages. We should include critiques of elected school board members putting decision-making power in the hands of a technocrat to clear themselves of responsibility; how so much money in education is spent on people not actually interacting with children; how everyone but admin is asked to make do with less for the benefit of the children.
- We could also use this as an opportunity to clarify how some of the budget works (from the Governor’s initial proposal to the final budget).
Phase 1: Building a Rank-and-File Fighting Caucus (Internal Organizing)
Objectives (over the next 2 months)
- Identify and develop a 5+ person organizing committee (OC) with representation across key job classes.
- With WCU, conduct political education with the OC, showing them how they can connect individual grievances to the district’s budget, the role of the school board, and the power of collective action.
- Build out a list of caucus members; rank them 1-5.
- Map worksites, identify key roles, and assess the union’s willingness to strike if things do not progress. Whether or not the union will go on strike will depend, but we should aim towards that, not just rely on current leadership to negotiate better.
Materials: Internal organizing half-sheet
Tired of 2% raises while the district spends millions on management?
We love our students, but we can’t pay our rent with passion. While LUSD finds money for a $XXX,XXX Superintendent salary and [any new administrative posts or contracts], many of us get raises that don’t even cover inflation.
Lack of staffing is a crisis that hurts kids. It is caused by poverty wages. As CSEA members, we have the power to change this, but only if we organize ourselves from the bottom up.
This caucus, “Local 77 for a Living Wage” (something better pls), is pro-worker and pro-student. We are building the power CSEA needs at the bargaining table to win a contract that keeps dedicated staff in our schools. A strong membership makes a strong union.
Sign up to get notified about our next meeting!
CTA: Text XXX to YYY to get updates.
Phase 2: Public Pressure (Community Facing)
Objectives:
- Connect worker precarity directly to student outcomes. When our bus attendants need a second job, our kids’ routes are less stable. When paraeducators can’t afford rent, our special needs students lose experienced aides.
- Frame the fight as a defense of public education against austerity and privatization (through contracts AND admin).
Material: Social media content
Personal Story
“I love working with Lodi students, but I’m juggling bills every month. My take‑home pay isn’t enough to live on. LUSD is pushing dedicated staff out.” – An LUSD Classified Employee. #LivingWageForLUSD
High turnover hurts kids. Stable schools need stable staff. Tell the LUSD Board to pay a living wage. [Petition link]
Infographics
Superintendent Neil Young’s Annual Pay: $
Starting pay for [Job Title]: $[Y]
Can an LUSD staff member afford a 2‑bedroom in Lodi on this pay? NO. [Source link]
Budgets reflect priorities. Invest in the people who make schools run. #LivingWageForLUSD [Petition link]
Board Meeting CTA
Lodi schools face a staffing crisis—not because people won’t work, but because they can’t afford to. On October 7th, 2025, we’ll ask the Board to back a living‑wage plan. Join us.
The Systemic Problem
Why are Lodi school workers underpaid?
The LUSD budget shows spending on administration has increased X% while frontline staff wages have stagnated.
Austerity in public education hurts students and workers while benefiting consultants, private contractors, and administrators who don’t interact with children but like to imagine they’re more important than those that do.
It’s time to fully fund our public schools. Support a living wage for LUSD staff! #LivingWageForLUSD [Petition Link]
Outreach
- Target parent groups, but also other public sector unions in the area (maybe we can make this a cross-district effort?) or other public sectors.
Phase 3: Direct Action and Escalation
Soft launch at the October 7th Board meeting
Tanner: We urge you to reopen negotiations immediately with a serious proposal, because our students’ stability depends on it. We are organizing, we are united, and we are ready to do what it takes to win a living wage so we can prioritize our students. (I forget what the contract situation was).
Escalation pathway
- For CSEA members interested, set up a meeting after the October 7th board meeting.
- WCU and the OC can put together workshops on what a strike is, where its power comes from, risks, and what is needed to win.
- Start mapping out local doers or leaders at worksites.
Research and Data to Verify
- Superintendent Neil Young’s total compensation.
- Classified wage scales: starting/typical take-home for key roles like bus attendants, paras, custodial compared to the admin side of the building.
- Average rent for a 2-bedroom in Lodi and San Joaquin County broadly.
- Maybe a broader breakdown of the budget. Money being spent on consultants/outside contracts?
Roles and Coordination between WCU and OC
- Tanner/OC will lead internal organizing, serving as the primary organizing body inside the union.
- WCU will provide strategic support, run education workshops (like organizing conversations), help build petitions and socials, and ensure the caucus maintains an independent, class-struggle orientation.
Risks
- Avoid co-optation. The caucus should remain independent of leadership, maintaining its own structure, demands, and communication channels.
- In an inactive union, members may be risk-averse. Gradual escalation will help build confidence. Strike education should be honest about the risks but also emphasize the risk of inaction (stagnant wages).