California State University employees staged a rally at San Diego State Wednesday demanding better pay. The employees union and the CSU are negotiating a new contract at the local campus. Union leaders want the system to offer a cost-of-living increase. But so far the university's bargaining team has resisted. Jeff Henson works at Cal State San Marcos and attended the rally.
Henson: "We're all making a sacrifice because we believe in higher education. The CSU's attitude seems to be, well, we can hire somebody else if we have to, but right now we're paying you this and that's what you get."
Merit increases for CSU employees have also been frozen for 10 years. The union is made up of health care assistants, tech workers, custodians, and landscapers. Its current contract expires at the end of June.
