labor relations specialist

labor relations representative

office administrator

senior secretary

leadership development program

California School Employees Association

I am bias.  I was fired before my ten month probationary period ended.  

The hiring process includes 2 phone interviews, 2 panel interviews, a writing test, and a test on presentation.  CSEA used to hire members to be LRRs.  Now, CSEA administration's main criteria seems to weed out anyone who doesn't have an advanced degree (JD, MPA, MA).

THE GOOD:  My coworkers were smart, dedicated, and amazing.   You get to help classified school district employees in need.  The work is ever changing and interesting.  CSEA starting pay for Labor Relations Representative (LRR) is around $15,000 / year more than other unions.  You get a monthly car allowance, accrue over a dozen vacation days a year, and also get a bunch of holidays.  You also get health insurance for life if you work fifteen years or more.  The office buildings are in good shape - no mold or graffiti.  The equipment (phone, laptop, printers, scanners, etc.) are relatively up to date.


THE BAD: CSEA is a member controlled and member run union.  CSEA Management's model is "Members are gold."  This motto does not apply to their own employees.  Beware of some field directors.

There is a high turnover rate.  Approximately 2-3 LRRs LEAVE PER MONTH.   There are only 125 LRRs statewide.  One-third of the offices consists of LRRs on probation.  The two week LRR training is useful, but it is 12 hours per day ON TOP of your existing workload.  (There are floaters who will take NEW cases during your leave.)  At the next Conference, members should demand that CSEA provide the cost of recruiting one LRR, the average length of stay, and the attrition rate. 

Some members are encouraged to be demanding and rude towards staff.  One director actually laughed when one member told a colleague, "I own you.  Without me, you are nothing."   

CSEA requires LRRs to return calls within 24 hours.  Some directors applies this rule to weekends.  So if an executive board member call you at 8 PM on a Friday night about their performance evaluation, you better call them back by 8 PM Saturday night.  Members expect you to give your cell phone numbers out to them.  If you don't pick up, some members will call the directors so be ready for an oral reprimand the following day.  

LRRs work 12+ hours a day and attend a dozen Saturdays sit-down meetings per year. Your director may leave these meetings half way.   ln May and October, you will precinct walk 2-3 Saturdays PLUS phone bank (telemarketing for politicians) 40 hours each of those months ON TOP of your regular workload.  Rarely will a director actually phone bank for more than 10 hours or precinct walk.  

Some directors will pressure you into working on your vacation and in-lieu days, even Senior Labor Relations Representative have cut their vacation short.  Yes, you are not required to be physically at work during the holidays.  But, you better reply to your emails.


THE UGLY:  Some field directors are former LRRs and even members, but their $100K+ salaries and extra perks has made them into micromanaging workaholic elitists.   They are extremely frugal to their own members.    At the next Conference, members should demand Directors' travel and expense RECEIPTS (not just their reports).  You will see high end room service (e.g. chocolate dipped strawberries)  

Some directors lack compassion for their employees.  One director  extended a probationary period a few days before that 10 month marker hits and then fired that employee a day before that extension ends.  Per contract, they do not owe you a reason for the extension or termination.  

Some directors will assign you service areas based on the number of members in the school district.  LRR X can service one school district with 2,400 employees while LRR Z can have six school districts with four hundred employees each.  There are a minimum of four executive board members per school.  Each chapter has one eBoard meeting and then a chapter meeting. Each school district has one monthly school board meeting.  You do the math because obviously the directors cannot.   LRR X has 4 eBoard members to report to and a minimum of one monthly chapter meeting.  LRR Y has 24 eBoard members to report to and a minimum of six monthly chapter meetings.  

At the end of the day, Directors can reassign you to a new school district with only one day's notice AND are not obligated to give you a reason.

Wow. Where to begin? CSEA is a member run union that serves* the classified school employees in California. 
That's what the tagline says. 
In reality, CSEA is a pyramid scheme in which the main goal is to move up the ladder from member to chapter leader to regional representative and then area director and then into state board office. Nothing more than that.

If you move up as a chapter leader you are almost immediately showered with the promise of favors from your area director in exchange for help with his/her re-election or the election of a favored patsy alternate area director. So you may get a call promising you a spot on a state committee, to which one might be thrilled to get but there are strings attached of course. Once you're on the state committee (of which a handful actually do anything more than rubber stamp the plans from their staff coordinator)
you will be reminded that it was the area director that "got you on" and that they "really had to go against" the state president's recommendation, etc. etc. This is their way of telling you that you're in their pocket. 

The regional representative's primary task is to keep tabs on leadership of the chapters to which they are assigned. In some smaller chapters, or those with small e-boards, the RR will effectively run the chapter, including chapter elections and voting for area directors and alternates. In a strong and effective chapter, the RR will meddle with internal politics of the chapter. 

They ostensibly report to the state president but also help keep the area director in power or to undermine them in some fashion, usually by getting other leaders to file a complaint through state C&B's. 

Any threat to the power of a regional rep will be reported to the area director or the state president and acted upon by recruiting leaders from other chapters to get dirt on that person. Any threat to the power of an area director will be reported to the regional rep and so on and so on. 

Their primary goal is to move up the ladder. They couldn't care less about the members. 

Field office staff are often complicit in the political shenanigans between area directors, regional reps and chapter leadership. This is primarily from the Field Director and their secretarial staff. 

All of these elements conspire against the regular Joe in their quest to do the right thing by the members. It's the loud-mouth do nothing people or the politically savvy that get ahead. 

Today's CSEA is a disgrace to their founders.

CSEA is a great place to work for those who want a career in advocating for workers' rights, building the middle class, and engaging in politics. 
The organization has experienced change in all areas over the past few years. As with anything, employees can view this as welcome relief or a burden to bear. Abundant, institutional knowledge has left and will continue to drain from the organization, leaving in its wake a junior staff to figure out how to carve their own path. There are many opportunities to do meaningful work if you're in a member-facing role. In other positions, you have to work harder to stay connected to the mission. You work for CSEA because of the members. Even on the worse day, interacting with members and helping them can help overcome the pain points employees experience with management, as conveyed by the staff union, but that can only sustain someone so long. 

Working here has been a truly rewarding experience. It’s a great place to work, where the mission is meaningful and gives you a real sense of purpose. You’re contributing to protecting the rights of individuals, which makes the work impactful—but it can also come with high-pressure situations and shifting priorities.

No two days look the same, and I appreciate the variety and challenge that brings. If you’re someone who prefers a highly structured, 9-to-5 office setting, this may not be the right fit. However, if you thrive in a dynamic environment and value continuous learning and professional growth, this job offers plenty of opportunity for both.

The pay, benefits, holidays, and vacation time are all excellent and a major plus. These aspects really support work-life flexibility and overall well-being, making it an even more attractive place to work.


•Overlooked verification/processing of payroll, benefits, employee change requests, recruitment, new hires, terminations, resignations and safety policy.
•Adept in Taleo/PeopleSoft systems
•Administrative Work

A typical day consists of looking at resumes, printing out resumes, scheduling interviews, filing paperwork, etc.

I have learned to be more open-minded with employees and their needs and try to put myself in their shoes in order to get a better understanding as to what they are asking and how I can best assist them.

Management is very good.

Workplace culture is great in that they are very diverse.

The hardest part of the job is finding a balance between work and breaks. Working here keeps you very busy 95% of the time that you lose track on when you should take a break from work.

The most enjoyable part of the job are the employees who work here. They are the kindest people I have ever met and very helpful.

CSEA was once a great place to work, with great benefits, decent salaries and a good culture. That is no longer the case. The organization is run by incompetent, bully managers who will do anything to cover for themselves and for one another. This is a labor organization that has learned the worst habits of the employers it fights and has adopted them for itself. Bullying and lying managers are commonplace, favoritism is rampant, and employees are targeted for discipline and dismissal without restraint. You may be a darling of management one day and the target of a false case for discipline the next. Working here will leave you stressed and traumatized, all for a salary that hasn't kept up with what the surrounding high-tech corporations offer.

Chapter Presidents often go rogue with little consequences. The joy of ‘helping members’ pretty much goes away if you feel shut out/disrespected by chapter presidents. A lot of them are rude and think they run their own mini-CSEA with their own rules. Too much put on labor rep, we have between 5-15 chapters with no day to day admin support seen in most corporate environments. Lack of structure is a blessing and curse. Often times feel unprepared going into meetings with districts. Criminally underpaid and overworked. CSEA management does not focus on supporting or cultivating young talent. This is seen in retention. I would not suggest working here, there are more reasonable jobs in this field out there, go look for those. 

As a LRR I was assigned on average 12-13 chapters (from same # of school districts).
Everyday was different; we created our own schedule from working in office or home office putting to proposals for upcoming negotiation session. Preparing for an upcoming hearing at PERB (Public EmployeesRelation Board because we had filed a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice charge), or upcoming termination hearing before a school board. Politically, very involved supporting specific candidates or initiatives.

Working as an LRR can be very rewarding, especially if you enjoy advocating for employees and helping resolve issues. The work is meaningful and gives you the chance to make a real impact by supporting members. It's also a role where you develop a lot of practical skills over time like improved communication, contracts, and involvement politically. You manage your own caseloads, but have a lot of check-ins. There have also been some management changes that seem to have helped morale. 

This is a great opportunity to possibly become "Prodigy" material based on one's fortitude. If some 12 hour days are going to conflict to your biweekly pedicure and/or facial appointments this career is not for you! Yes this job/career  deals with politics hand over feet, so what? Basically only the strong survive, if you can be unbiased to society then you might just have what it takes to be a crucial employee here. Being that as it may, take care brush your hair, and goodluck your going to need it.
                              D.C.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Labor relations specialist 29 salaries reported	$99,138 per year
Labor relations representative 27 salaries reported	$104,633 per year
Office administrator 1 salary reported	$82,890 per year
Senior secretary 1 salary reported	$70,926 per year
Leadership development program 1 salary reported	$103,420 per year

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