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SEIU and CSEA

How the California State Employees Association (CSEA) became involved with SEIU

Even today, many state workers are unfamiliar with the history of CSEA and the genesis of our relationship with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

We hope this short history below will shed some light on this very interesting relationship between the two organizations.

The Early Years   |   The Golden Years   |   SEIU Era Begins   |   The Affiliate

 

The Early Years

CSEA was formed in 1931 on the heels of a successful campaign by a group of state employees to convince the people of California to pass a ballot initiative to create a pension system for state workers.  This pension system later became what is now known as the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).   The leaders of this group later decided that a more formal structure was needed to continue to advocate on behalf of state employees.  Thus was born the California State Employees Association.

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The Golden Years

After the initial success of the drive for a pension system, CSEA helped create the first state employee credit union - the Golden One in 1933.  CSEA's connection to golden one is best illustrated by the fact that the building housing CSEA is owned and managed by a corporation jointly administered by CSEA and the Golden 1 Credit Union.   CSEA also pushed for the formation of the nation's strongest civil service system in 1934.   Over the next several decades, CSEA fought for, won and later protected many benefits that some state employees not take for granted:   Offered health benefits to state employees years before the State of California did so Protected the right of state employees to return to their state jobs after World War II Secured uniform holiday dates for state employees Guaranteed overtime pay Secured the 40-hour work week (when many state workers were used to working on Saturdays) Win legislation that required the state to pay for a portion of workers' health insurance costs During this same period, CSEA also helped win some of the largest pay raises in history that even today are hard to rival.   THE DILLS ACT Perhaps one of the most pivotal moments in CSEA's history occurred in 1977 with the passage of the Ralph C. Dills Act, the state law that permitted collective bargaining for state workers - again, thanks to the efforts of CSEA.   After a series of court challenges, the Dills Act was later ruled constitutional and the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), which was charged with administering the new law, started holding elections for rank-and-file state workers to select their bargaining representative (union).   CSEA won many of these elections, that overnight, turned the organization from an "association" to a full-pledged union for state workers.   More information about the collective bargaining era below.

CSEA:  Recognized and Respected A video tribute to the vision of the state employees who started it all

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SEIU Era Begins

In the early 1980s, when CSEA was under threat of raids by other unions, a committee was set up to look into affiliating with a "national" union connected with the AFL-CIO, the large umbrella organization of unions across the U.S.  The move to affiliate with an AFL-CIO union was CSEA's was attempt to seek protection under Article XX of the AFL-CIO constitution that prohibited its member unions from raiding or attempting to organize the membership of another AFL-CIO chartered union.    CSEA looked at several AFL-CIO affiliated unions and chose SEIU.   At the time, CSEA was attracted to SEIU's offer of allowing CSEA a great deal of autonomy and SEIU was delighted with the opportunity to expand its presence in the public sector.  During that period, SEIU was primarily a union representing workers in the building services and health care sector and it still is today.  As part of this agreement, CSEA was required to make "per capita"  payments to SEIU for being a local affiliate of SEIU.  CSEA was chartered as "Local 1000" of SEIU.   Since most of the unions who had their eyes on CSEA's members were affiliated with the AFL-CIO, coming under the AFL-CIO umbrella via SEIU allowed CSEA to focus on representing members instead of fighting off competing organizations.    Ironically, in 2005, SEIU joined four other unions and formed a rival federation to the AFL-CIO called "Change to Win".

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The Affiliate

Prior to collective bargaining, CSEA was governed by a board of directors that included members elected by rank-and-file civil service employees, retirees, state university workers and supervisors.  It was a system created during an earlier time when CSEA was essentially the only organization representing most current and former state employees.   With the advent of collective bargaining and recognizing that the rank-and-file needed control of their own affairs, CSEA put in place a  reorganization that split the four distinct classes of members into their respective "divisions".    The rank-and-file members of CSEA were placed in what was then called the "Civil Service Division"  (CSD) of CSEA.  This division had its own elected and "independent" governing board.  However, because the CSD was technically just a "subsidiary" of CSEA, the CSEA board of directors still had final say over most matters.  In response, a group of  rank-and-file members in the CSD formed a "reform" group to advocate for greater control over rank-and-file matters.   It was in this backdrop that calls for incorporating the CSD became louder.  Incorporation was a legal process that would transform the CSD from a subordinate "division" of CSEA to its own sub-corporation within CSEA and give it legal standing and far greater autonomy.    A succession of administrations in CSEA fought incorporation.  This started an internal fight that plagued CSEA for years.  In 2003, the matter was settled and the CSD was chartered as a new "incorporated affiliate" of CSEA.  To assert its new found independence, the new affiliate abandoned any reference to CSEA in its name and is now called SEIU Local 1000.  CSEA's role in this new affiliate has greatly diminished.   As an affiliate,  Local 1000 has full control of and is responsible for its budget, dues structure and programs.   Unfortunately, the saga did not have a happen ending.  Many former members of this reform group felt that the leaders of the movement that gave Local 1000 full power to manage the affairs of the union later abused that responsibility and started running the union no differently than their predecessors.   So, a move to "reform the reform movement" was born.  This was the impetus for creating CSEUnited.