Leaders with a union representing tens of thousands of Cal State University faculty have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract – putting an early end to a planned strike this week.
Officials with the California Faculty Association – a union representing roughly 30,000 librarians, professors, counselors and coaches – and Cal State University announced the agreement Monday night, the first day of the strike.
The strike was intended to go until Friday, during what is the first week of the spring semester at 15 Cal State campuses including Fullerton, as faculty pushed for better pay, benefits and resources at the nation’s largest university system.
“I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately,” said Cal State University Chancellor Mildred García in a Monday news release. “The agreement enables the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the university system’s long-term financial sustainability.”
Faculty members had called for an immediate 12% pay increase to address inflation, with professors arguing they have heavy work loads with little pay as university presidents have seen their salaries grow nearly twice the rate of lecturers over the past decade and as tuition has increased.
But university officials like Garcia have pushed back on those demands arguing that a 12% pay hike this year is not fiscally viable with Cal State leaders, instead offering a 15% increase spread over the next three years – 5% per year.
Garcia, a former Cal State Fullerton president, is primed to make just under a $1 million her first year as chancellor.
[Read: Cal State University Faculty Strike For Better Pay This Week]
Faculty will not receive a 12% raise under the tentative agreement, according to a Monday news release from the union.
Instead, they will receive a 5% raise stretching back to July 2023 and another 5% raise in July 2024 – pending a union vote to ratify the agreement in the coming weeks.
The deal would also raise pay for the lowest-paid faculty across the university system. A minimum increase of $3,000 retroactive till July of this year with an additional $3,000 raise the following year.
The union also demanded gender-inclusive bathrooms, nursing spaces on campuses, increased paid parental leave and mental health staffing for students.
Monday’s tentative agreement also provides more protections for employees when engaging with university police and will be provided with additional support for service work, 10 weeks of paid parental leave, greater access to nursing rooms and gender inclusive bathrooms.
In a Monday news release, California Faculty Association President Charles Toombs said employee organizing was critical in securing the new deal.
“The collective action of so many lecturers, professors, counselors, librarians, and coaches over these last eight months forced CSU management to take our demands seriously. This Tentative Agreement makes major gains for all faculty at the CSU.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC intern. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss
