SACRAMENTO, CALIF – .Gov. Jerry Brown appointed the head of California’s largest union and three others Monday to the University of California Board of Regents, which sets tuition and other policy for the university system.
Three of Brown’s appointees are Democrats, while the fourth isn’t registered with a party. The position isn’t paid and the state Senate must approve the appointments.
One of Brown’s appointees is Laphonza Butler, the president of SEIU Local 2015, which represents 378,000 caregivers and nursing home workers. It is California’s largest union. Several unions representing university employees, although not the SEIU Local 2015, have organized strikes in recent years to fight for higher wages.
In a statement, Butler said she’ll be an advocate to “ensure that California’s higher education system prepares all residents of our state for their brightest possible future, including groups like women & minorities whom have been traditionally excluded or underserved.”
