Thousands of Cal State faculty to walk in strike, demading higher pay

Thousands of California State University faculty are expected to walk out beginning Monday during the crucial end-ofterm time, demanding higher pay and marking a high-profile escalation in contract negotiations between their union and the nation’s largest four-year public higher education system.

Faculty — including professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches — at four campuses will each participate in a one-day strike. Cal Poly Pomona faculty will strike Monday, followed by work stoppages later in the week at San Francisco State, Cal State Los Angeles and Sacramento State.

“These campuses were selected to send a strong signal to the CSU that they need to make major and significant movement on our bargaining demands,” said Charles Toombs, president of the California Faculty Assn. “Our faculty are absolutely fed up with their working conditions and salary that does not keep pace with inflation and the cost of living.”

More than 95% of faculty who participated in an October strike authorization vote approved the labor action, according to the union. It declined to say how many members voted.

The union, which represents 29,000 workers statewide, and the Cal State system are in the midst of so-called “reopener bargaining,” where they can negotiate parts of the existing contract before it expires in June.

The sides are divided on pay.

Faculty want a 12% increase for the 2023-24 academic year, while the system has offered a 5% increase each of the next three years.

Under Cal State’s proposal, Toombs said the increases in the last two years of the plan would be contingent on the budget, meaning money for the raises would depend on the availability of state funding.

The union has called on CSU to draw on money from its reserves to fund pay increases, accusing the system of “hoarding billions of dollars in reserves instead of investing in faculty and staff.”

During a Friday news briefing, Cal State officials said they cannot afford to offer higher increases.

They said the system must maintain the reserve money to pay for short-term or emergency expenses, such as maintenance projects.

“There’s only a limited pot of money, so that if we have to increase our salaries, that means that we have to cut other programs, other ongoing plans on the campuses,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor of human resources.

“Something has to give.”