Janice R. Andrews
An estimated 30,000 professors, librarians, coaches, and other employees of California State University (CSU), the largest public university system in the country, went on strike for almost a week until they reached a tentative contract agreement on Monday. This is a significant development. The union that represents these faculty members, the California Faculty Association (CFA).
In accordance with the deal, CFA members will resume work on Tuesday, calling off their scheduled week-long boycott to voice their concerns about increased pay. According to a statement from the organisation, the provisional agreement—which is still pending approval by union members—is being praised as an example of the solidarity that teachers, staff, and students have shown throughout all 23 campuses.
“I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García in response to the accord. García highlighted that the deal guarantees the long-term financial sustainability of the university system while enabling CSU to adequately reward its teachers.
Two weeks after CSU administrators ended contract discussions with a unilateral offer that fell well short of the union’s demands for a 12% salary increase, a system-wide strike broke out. A retroactive 5% rise from the prior year and an additional 5% rise beginning on July 1 are included in the proposed deal. It also tackles issues about the minimum salary for faculty members who receive the lowest pay.
The new CSU semester coincided with the start of the strike, which threatened to stop classes if faculty members refused to cross picket lines. Additionally, students joined the picket lines to express their opposition to impending tuition increases set for the autumn as well as to support their instructors.
The California Faculty Association, which represents around 29,000 employees, organised one-day walkouts on four campuses in December to protest for expanded maternity leave, more pay, and more manageable workloads. The union contended that the institution possessed adequate finances, comprising emergency and reserve accounts, to support the suggested wage hikes.
Even though the strike is over, union members still need to ratify the accord. This event occurs against the backdrop of heightened labour activity nationwide in a number of industries, as employees push for better wages and working conditions. Recent revisions to the law in California have given workers more advantages, such as more paid time off for illness and better pay for specific industries. The end of the fall semester was impacted by strikes by graduate student employees and teaching assistants at the University of California System in 2022.
