CFA Members’ Picket Lines Start Next Week

CSU management is running out of time to avert a multi-campus strike next week, and their latest union-busting messaging and threats to faculty, students, and staff show their desperation.

Management must think that faculty can’t do math. Management claims their latest salary offer as “15 percent over three years” (even they acknowledge that is not guaranteed). We are demanding a 12-percent General Salary Increase for just 2023-24 to keep pace with rising costs of living. We will fight for more when the full contract opens next year. The three-year nature of management’s proposal would mean that we cannot bargain over other workplace issues for three years!

Here is the bottom line: The choice is our proposal for 12 percent for 2023 or management’s 5 percent for 2023. Anything they offer past this year is speculation as it is contingent on the budget. Management also rejects our other re-opener proposals to improve the CSU, like raising the floor for our lowest-paid faculty, a full semester of paid parental leave, smaller class sizes, safe lactation spaces, and accessible gender-inclusive bathrooms and changing spaces.

If CFA members are unable to settle our re-opener contract, we will go on strike to address pay inequity, lack of mental health counselors for our students, workload creep, and other systemic problems within the CSU system.

“It’s time to show the CSU administration that we’re serious about lifting up our lowest-paid faculty and addressing long-standing racial, gender, and social inequities,” said Vang Vang, CFA treasurer and Fresno State librarian. “Students, staff, CSU alumni, family members, friends and pets are always welcome at our picket lines! Together, let’s remind CSU management that we are the CSU!”

Our initial job actions are one-day strikes on the following four campuses:

• Monday, December 4, Cal Poly Pomona
• Tuesday, December 5, San Francisco State
• Wednesday, December 6, CSU Los Angeles
• Thursday, December 7, Sacramento State

Register to join the San Francisco and/or Sacramento State picket lines here. Register to join the Cal Poly Pomona and/or CSU Los Angeles picket lines here. 

Faculty members on any of these campuses should be ready to strike and join the picket line for these dates. Educators on strike do not teach, grade, answer work emails, or perform other faculty work. The withholding of labor includes all in-person and online virtual work. Your chapter leaders will be reaching out to you with more information. In the meantime, visit www.calfac.org/strike/for FAQs and more information.

Members at campuses not listed can show solidarity with regional colleagues by joining the picket lines on days faculty are not scheduled to teach or work. 

Faculty have one personal day per year, and you can choose to take this personal day or if you have used it already, take a vacation day if eligible to join colleagues at one of these campuses.

There are many ways you can help our CFA Bargaining Team achieve a strong contract.

• Show up to a strike campus next week!
• Ask colleagues in your department or discipline who are not yet members to join CFA. We need to demonstrate that we are in solidarity for a fair salary and for quality education. Our membership numbers demonstrate our power.
• Reach out to your chapter and mobilize your colleagues and help plan for the spring if we need to go on strike again for a fair contract.
• Visit www.cfabargaining.org/for the latest on bargaining.
• Tell Governor Newsom and Lt. Governor Kounalakis to demand CSU trustees settle a fair contract with CFA members and avoid strikes.

We’ll see you next week on the picket line!