About Cabrillo
Situated on Monterey Bay in the county of Santa Cruz, California, Cabrillo College is highly regarded for its success of transfer and career education, and currently serves over 10,000 students each semester. Cabrillo College transfers many of its students to three nearby universities – the University of California at Santa Cruz, San Jose State University, and California State University at Monterey Bay. Cabrillo’s career education is closely connected to the nearby agricultural and farming industries as well as the Silicon Valley business environment.
Employees at Cabrillo College actively participate in program and service development, program planning, and serve on a number of participatory governance committees. Cabrillo provides an excellent opportunity to learn, collaborate, create, and make a difference in the lives of its diverse student body and community by hiring people who support the college mission and vision for student success.
About CCEU
The Cabrillo Classified Employees Union became the official bargaining agent for Classified staff in April 2007. CCEU is responsible for the advocacy and support of all fee-paying members of the union. The CCEU Board is responsible for approving the appointment of classified representatives who serve on shared governance committees. All union members have contract negotiated release time to attend monthly meetings. See our History page for more information.
Why Unions Matter
We are a home-grown union focusing on the Cabrillo community. In 2007, the Classified staff of Cabrillo College unanimously voted to decertify from SEIU. The goal was to keep efforts and advocacy local and relevant to the day to day lives of Cabrillo employees.
We keep you informed and connected. By serving on college committees and councils we are responsible for keeping the information flowing. Union representatives are appointed by the CCEU Board and representatives are responsible for sharing information with the membership.
We advocate and represent you in the college-wide shared governance process. Each member is responsible for representing the needs of our membership. The Board members serve as an advocate and liaison between the staff of Cabrillo as well as the college leadership groups.
We support you when you need it. The union takes great pride in promoting life events, celebrating moments that matter to each of us, and being a resource through professional development, or financial support when appropriate. We are always looking for ways and opportunities to enhance the life of our members.
Our members are friendly. The CCEU membership is known as the backbone of the college and we have some of the best employees you will meet.
Because unions, community, personal growth, professional growth, and the ability to explore & meet people matter
We care about you and we have fun!
The Teleworking Agreement exists because of the Union’s work!
The union was in thoughtful negotiations with the district over the ability to work from home. We discussed the cost of living in the immediate area and the cost of travel for living outside of the area. We were mindful that not every employee could work from home, but had no tool in place to explore the possibilities. Then a global pandemic happened that allowed us to reexamine our needs and meet our student learning outcomes, virtually. Our original pilot program became the standard way of business. As we move out of pandemic status into endemic we know that business can be done in many modalities. The union has secured language, processes, and standards for teleworking that will allow us to continue to offer this type of working condition and environment without the need for a global catastrophe.
The Union offers great protections for our members. Members should get familiar with what is in the contract
Every dues-paying member is entitled to free legal services as it relates to employment at Cabrillo. Remember a contract codifies the law and adds extra protections that the law doesn’t have to consider. For example, the law allows employers to offer sick leave, but unions are able to negotiate additional time such as personal necessity leave which is a component of sick leave. This allows members to take time off in any increment for things like a doctors/dentist appointment, to meet with your child’s teacher, to participate in Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), etc., without using OT, vacation, or taking time off. Additionally, our contract has many nuggets and perks that allow you to grow using staff development and professional development opportunities. We want you to be your best self and we do what is best for the institution and organization to meet that outcome.
How to sign up and what is the cost?
Signing up to be a dues-paying member is easy. During your onboarding process, a union representative shared the link to the membership form. Simply fill out the form and return it to become a union member. Please note, dues are 1.255% of your salary and are deducted post-tax.
Need help? Contact a Steward
If you are a dues-paying member who is experiencing problems or have concerns as it relates to the contract, please reach out and speak with a steward. Stewards are here and available for all sorts of reasons. For example, if you want to meet with your supervisor to review evaluation feedback, a steward can attend the meeting to make sure you have adequate representation, get your questions answered, and ensure the outcomes/objectives are reasonable. Not sure if you are doing work beyond the scope of your duties/assignment/classification? Meet with a steward.
Stewards serve as union representatives to help defend you against perceived or experienced contract violations. They also serve as mediators between you and the management team. For help, fill out this Steward Request Form. You may also contact Poco Marshall (poco@cabrillo.edu), Janine Riopel (jariopel@cabrillo.edu), or Virginia Rossi (virossi@cabrillo.edu).
Union Representatives
See CCEU Representatives page.
Cabrillo Classified Employees Union 