Member Survey: 80% Give CSA Thumbs Up
by Yuridia Peña
A recent CSA-member survey revealed members have an overwhelmingly favorable view of the union, with nearly seven out of 10 approving of the job the union does. In addition, 80 percent of the membership, when asked about attitudes toward the union, answered “favorable.”
“CSA works tirelessly for its members in ensuring services in an efficient and timely manner,” said CSA President Ernest Logan, who said he was pleased with the survey results but remains dedicated to improving member services. “It may be impossible to have 100 percent of our members happy with us, but that doesn’t mean it’s not my goal,” he said.
Members’ overwhelmingly positive response toward the CSA has remained steady since the last member survey in March 2010. Both surveys were conducted by the Global Strategy Group, a marketing consulting firm, which was hired by the union.
In addition, the new survey showed that Mr. Logan has a near universal name recognition among members, and that more than seven in 10 people approve of his job performance; 82 percent expressing a favorable attitude toward him.
While Mr. Logan’s leadership and the union’s efforts are well regarded, some troubling trends raised a few red flags for union officials. The new survey showed a drop in job satisfaction among members, as well as an increase in dissatisfaction with wages and workload when compared to member responses in 2009. In addition, members clearly want the union to focus on contract related issues and fight budget cuts in schools. (High-stakes testing, job insecurity and draconian accountability measures contribute to why so many members – 24 percent – expressed dissatisfaction with their own jobs.)
But the most vital issue for all members is salary.
“Much of this anxiety may be due to the fact that the Mayor has specifically said that there is no money for raises. Members are increasingly frustrated about the lack of a new contract with the city,” said CSA Executive Vice President Peter McNally.
CSA’s contract expired in March 2009 and the union filed for impasse this October with the NYS Public Employment Relations Board over the city’s inability to negotiate a news contract. PERB agreed with CSA that the union and the city were at an impasse.
Administrators overwhelmingly said they would stand beside Mr. Logan if he decides to press Mayor Bloomberg about discussing a new collective bargaining agreement.
Seventy-three percent of the membership said they have an “unfavorable” attitude toward Mayor Bloomberg, with 63 percent disapproving of his job performance. Union officials surmised this may be because of increasing demands on school administrators with fewer resources to meet those demands.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott has yet to make a huge impression among members but survey results indicate they are willing to give him a chance. Specific groups of CSA members expressed differing degrees of satisfaction with the union depending upon the question. For example, the number of Education Administrators, Principals under the age 50 and African-Americans who say they are displeased with CSA’s handling of contractual issues has increased from 2009 to 2011.
(The percentage of Education Administrators who expressed satisfaction decreased from 63 percent to 42 percent, Principals under 50 from 54 percent to 34 percent and African Americans, from 70 percent
to 53 percent.)
Another example of this is Principals feel less positive than Assistant Principals and Education Administrators about the union’s handling of issues such as pensions, benefits, healthcare and working conditions. While Education Administrators are more concerned with job security, Principals feel more strongly than others about legal issues.
Global Strategy Group, a marketing consulting firm, conducted the online survey from Sept. 27 to Oct. 20 among 1,089 CSA members.
