Member Highlight: Union Stories

This issue of the newsletter focuses on two new people, Andrea Terry and Chris Patterson. These two have their own unique paths to union work. Read on to learn more. As you read, think about your story. Why are you involved with the union?

Meet Andrea!

I grew up in a household where unions were rarely mentioned, but I started working at age 15. I dealt with consistent workplace violations in non-unionized spaces such as Sears Portrait Studio, Longs Drugs, and a local veterinary practice. I thought that the cost of a paycheck was having to do whatever the boss demanded.

My first experience with a union was as an adjunct instructor at Cuesta College, where I learned how our local union fought for lecturer rights and compensation. Because of this, I was elated to learn that the CSU was unionized and joined CFA when I became a lecturer at Cal Poly SLO in 2016. 

While at SLO, I had issues with qualitative student comment data being used unfairly in my annual evaluation process – the comments that were chosen by reviewers were simply not representative of the comments as a whole. My former debate coach and friend, Lisa Kawamura, was the lecturer representative at SLO. She helped me to identify other lecturers with similar issues. We filed a chapter-wide grievance. The grievance was successful and I was hooked. I became a member of SLO’s CFA Executive Board, and when I got a tenure line position at Sacramento State, I knew that I would continue working with CFA. 

CFA has given me a place to use my knowledge and skills as a political communication scholar and professor to advocate for better working and learning conditions. In 2023, I was a key witness for AB 2987, which requires that Title IX complainants receive timely updates on their case status. I knew how slow the system moved, as I had mentored a student who was forced to re-report their assault several times and went months without any updates on their case.

At Sacramento State, I’ve seen the power of CFA to fight for lecturer rights, push administration to create clear and consistent notifications for ICE sightings on campus, and advocate for our budget. In Spring 2025, you may have seen us tabling all over campus, encouraging folks to write letters and postcards to legislators. It is in part because of this collective work that we were able to avoid the proposed 9% cut to the CSU budget, restoring more than 200 classes and dozens of lecturer jobs.

Our current moment is one of chaos and misinformation. Despite this, I am encouraged by our union work on a daily basis as we use legislation and our collective voice to fight for democracy. Right now, voters are deciding whether they will support Prop 50: the Election Rigging Response Act. I am proud to be part of a union that supports Prop 50 and is standing up to the fascist takeover of the federal government. Sign the pledge to vote YES on Prop 50 here, and if you’re interested in this work, please get in touch! aterry@calfac.org

Meet Chris!

Hey everyone! I’m Chris Patterson, lecturer in the Communication Studies department. I am starting my 11^th year teaching at Sac State and starting my second year as a member of our chapter’s executive board. People ask me frequently, why did you join the union? 

As a lecturer, the world I occupy is traditionally isolated. When I was hired in 2015, there was no lecturer orientation offered – at least one that I was aware of – and nor was one required – which is still true, but they are clearly offered now! There was little support for classroom management outside of a small network from grad school, and I was never sure how to navigate things like advancement, raises, evaluations. I had a lack of confidence in my ability to do my job well, and a fear of losing it at the end of each semester. There was just so much to wrap my head around!

Additionally, as a lecturer, pay is traditionally weak, and inconsistent workload issues result in near constant change from semester to semester. The overall lack of security for future work means a tough road for navigating the challenges life throws at you. As you might imagine, my family and I were living month-to-month, I was unable to save for retirement and was in no position to buy a house, build equity, or establish any sense of stability. This situation spelled all sorts of trouble for the future! Isolated and unstable, clearly a recipe for stress.

I came to learn about how the CFA provides for all of us in Unit 3 after needing some help with an appointment issue. I learned the union wasn’t here to do it for me, the union was here to empower me by knowing how to fight for my rights. I met people who have “been there before” and know how to help! No longer isolated, I am more confident! I am now more engaged with the campus, I know what is happening, how to get the help I need, and who to ask when I don’t. I learned that a strong union needs its membership to do the work – that’s how this union operates. The CFA is run by us – the faculty, coaches, librarians, and counselors of the 23 CSU campuses.. So, I decided to help.

In helping build a strong union, I have even taken on a leadership position with our chapter because I now realize I want to maintain and build out this unified environment for others, and I want to build up those around me as well – paying back what I had been given.

In helping build a strong union, I have become more stable. Our last contract negotiations secured raises of just over 10% over 2 years – even more some of our lowest paid faculty. With the additional $800 or so in my check each month, I am no longer living month to month, my family is now able to save for retirement, we are better able to plan our futures – we are more stable.

These pay and benefit increases, the social connections to this collective of experience and knowledge, are all maintained and improved upon by having a strong union. It’s clear my life is better because of the CFA. As we are now in collective bargaining, it is of the utmost importance to keep engaged. We have more wins on the horizon, if we can keep the momentum going.

The union has been key to my success in my career. It will be yours, too. It is also important to emphasize that these financial wins, these benefits, were not given to us by the Chancellor’s Office…they were won, they were negotiated; they were the result of our union…of OUR UNITED WORK. 

So, that’s why I joined the union, why I stay union, and what the union work has done for me. What can you do for your union?  I’m Chris, and it’s nice to meet you! Do you have a union story you want to share? Reach out and let us know!