CAL STATE AND FACULTY UNION MAKE A DEAL
The week before Christmas brought another hardfought deal to prevent a strike hitting California’s public universities.
CalMatters higher education writer Mikhail Zinshteyn reported Monday that California State University and its faculty association have tentatively agreed on a new contract, thwarting a possible work stoppage after 20 months of negotiations. The deal includes a general 4% raise retroactive to July 1, 2021, another 4% bump on July 1, 2022, plus a $3,500 COVID bonus in recognition of the colossal upheaval to instruction as classes moved online in the 2020-21 school year.
The raises and bonus match what was being sought by the California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 professors, lecturers, counselors and others, including some athletic coaches. The CSU administration had previously offered only 2%, and the two sides had been so far apart that they went to a more severe stage of state mediation, Mikhail says.
Things were looking so dire that union leaders were telling members to start warning students of a possible walkout and class cancellations in the spring term at CSU, the nation’s largest public university system with nearly 500,000 students. CFA leaders credited the deal to activism by faculty, including petitions presented to campus presidents in early November and a Nov. 9 rally at the CSU trustees meeting.
• Charles Toombs, CFA president: “Our new contract was made possible because faculty members were united in demanding our rights, respect, and justice.” The agreement is subject to a ratification vote by CFA members and approval from the CSU board of trustees.
It follows a series of other labor agreements:
On Dec. 8, the University of California recognized a union of 17,000 student researchers and staved off a labor disruption that would have significantly imperiled $5 billion in research funding.
On Nov. 17, the UC system struck a last-ditch deal with its lecturers union, ending a years-long impasse that could have cancelled classes for one-third of undergraduates.
The settlements show that the ivory tower isn’t immune from the increase in worker activism during the COVID-19 pandemic —
think “Striketober” and the “Great Resignation” — and the historic power of organized labor in California.
Back to (online) campus
From CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn:
It’s a case of unwelcome déjà vu for California higher education as once again college campuses are shifting to online instruction because of COVID-19 worries.
Tuesday morning, University of California President Michael Drake told leaders of the 10-campus system that they can pivot from in-person to fully online instruction as classes resume in January after winter break. By Tuesday night, all seven undergraduate campuses on the quarter system said they will move to remote-only instruction when winter term begins Jan. 3 — a sudden change for students and heavy lift for some faculty during what’s supposed to be their time off. UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz told students and employees that classes will be remote the first two weeks, while UC Davis announced that the first week of classes will be online.
Drake cited discussions with UC officials and public health experts — and concerns about the fastspreading omicron variant and holiday travel — for his decision. Whether campuses decide to shift to online or not, they “should incorporate a test, sequester, and retest model as described in the UC Health Coordinating Committee’s guidance for returning students,” he wrote.
• UC President Michael Drake: “Large, congregant events, particularly indoors, should be avoided in the opening weeks of your winter quarter or spring semester.”
The news follows several days of uncertainty after Stanford University joined several other colleges and said it was holding classes online for the start of its winter term late last week. Before Drake’s letter, CalMatters surveyed UC campuses about their January plans. Seven — including campuses that announced changes — initially indicated they were planning to keep classes largely in-person. But by Monday, signs were already pointing to a possible online pivot when the UC Board of Regents decided to hold its planned in-person January meeting virtually instead.
Still, the higher-ed landscape is diverse, and when classes resume may be a factor. UC Berkeley reiterated Tuesday that it’s planning to hold classes largely in person. Berkeley — like the nine Cal State campuses CalMatters surveyed and heard back from since last week — are on the semester system, so classes don’t resume until Jan. 18 or later. None of those Cal States were planning a fully remote start. Not negotiable at the UC? A booster shot, Drake said, citing existing university policy.