SACRAMENTO — Across all 23 California State University campuses, CFA members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike – if necessary – to secure a deal that addresses systemic issues like low pay, large class sizes, and lack of mental health counseling access for students.

CFA members are emphatic that low pay, growing workloads, and systemic inequities are not sustainable. CSU management needs to invest their money where it matters – the people and programs with direct impact on student learning and success.

Ninety-five percent of voting members demand:

  • A pay raise that stays ahead of inflation.
  • Pay equity and raising the floor for our lowest-paid faculty.
  • Manageable workloads that allow for more support and engagement with students.
  • More counselors to improve students’ much-needed access to mental health counseling.
  • Expanding paid parental leave.
  • Accessible lactation and milk storage spaces for lactating faculty.
  • Safe gender-inclusive restrooms and changing rooms.
  • Safety provisions for faculty interacting with university police on our campuses.

“When our re-opener bargaining campaign began on May 1st – International Workers’ Day – we asserted that faculty working conditions are student learning conditions.  Our aspirational contract demands insist that our students deserve better, that our faculty deserve better,” said Vang Vang. CFA treasurer and Fresno State librarian.

Watch CFA members announce the strike authorization vote results.

We are still moving through the statutory process. CFA members plan on bringing our demands and solidarity to trustees and new Chancellor Mildred García at the November 7 CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach.

CSU management says they can’t afford our re-opener proposals, but a CFA fiscal analysis shows otherwise . The CSU has been hoarding billions of dollars in reserves instead of investing in faculty and staff who work directly with our students. Their investment in administrative personnel is increasing while their investment in instructional support continues to shrink. Budgets are moral documents, and our members are holding CSU management accountable.

Our members’ vision for the CSU and students is aspirational – that’s why members continue to receive encouragement and support from students, many of whom have joined our campus rallies. Our proposals are reasonable, achievable, and necessary to build a better, safer, accessible, more just CSU.

BACKGROUND: From October 21 to October 27, CFA members voted whether to empower the CFA Board of Directors with the authority to call a strike should it become necessary.

The CFA Bargaining Team met several times with CSU management over the summer 

on re-opener contract bargaining. For the 2023-24 year, both sides re-opened limited articles of our Collective Bargaining Agreement – workload, parental leave, salary, benefits, and health and safety. Unfortunately, CSU management is unwilling to address systemic issues and we reached impasse. 

CSU management has continuously ignored our calls to take seriously the profound negative impacts on students and faculty that persist because of their entrenchment in the status quo: an inadequate Title IX process, paltry paid parental leave, pay that does not keep ahead of inflation, continued workload creep, ongoing lack of investment in mental health counseling, and the pervasive environment of racism and anti-Blackness.

This month we’ve been meeting in factfinding with an independent arbitrator. Find updates, read proposals, and more at www.CFAbargaining.org.

CFA Contacts: Michelle Hatfield: 916-612-8779 and Lisa Cohen: ‪310-395-2544

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA FACULTY ASSOCIATION: CFA represents more than 29,000 tenure-line instructional faculty, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches on the 23 campuses of the California State University system, from Cal Poly Humboldt in the north, to San Diego State in the south. Learn more about CFA at calfac.org and visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

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