As we begin this new semester, we’re entering an important stage in our fight for a fair contract. Our collective strength matters more than ever, and we’ll need everyone on board to help secure a strong contract. If you are a member, we ask that you pledge your solidarity here with CFA by talking about our “Fund the Classroom” campaign, participating in campus actions, getting your colleagues to pledge, and attending our statewide bargaining meetings! 

Here’s a look back at our members’ incredible work over the summer and how that will carry us forward in the fall. 

Fall Kickoff 

At our 2026 CFA Fall Kickoff, attendees gathered to remember CFA Pomona field representative and devoted organizer, Billy Gallagher, who passed away in July. Gallagher had a knack for making everyone feel loved and welcomed, and he brought so much joy into people’s lives. He understood that solidarity meant real connection to others. Gallagher cherished every moment he spent in the company of his family, friends, colleagues, faculty, and students, and he made it impossible to frown around him. He was larger than life, had the biggest heart, and his compassion overflowed to the rest of the world. 

Margarita Berta-Ávila, CFA President and Sacramento State professor, mirrored Gallagher’s spirit, reminding us that adoration and concern for one another are centerpieces in our work.  

“We are part of a movement as workers to organize for what we envision for higher education and its impact locally, union-wide, and nationally,” Berta-Ávila said. “It is a vision of joy and love, and it takes believing we can be on this journey together.” 

Berta-Ávila also referenced Maurice Mitchell, author of “Building Resilient Organizations Toward Joy and Durable Power in a Time of Crisis,” reminding us that moments of tension must be met with curiosity, moments of harm must be met with reparations and healing, and moments of success and difficulties must be met as new opportunities. 

Keynote speaker, Cecily Myart-Cruz, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and immediate past president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), shared how UTLA built their momentum and sustained their energy in the streets, classrooms, and work sites.  

“Our parents, communities, and students stand alongside us… that has always been the key for us to winning,” said Myart-Cruz.  

She emphasized the importance of taking up space in town halls, community centers, and rallies, and making sure that clear communication went out to our members through their newsletter and social media. She also highlighted the importance of aligning AFT’s bargaining with other ongoing campaigns that share the same values. 

Three veterans of CFA also imparted their wisdom to attendees. 

Lil Taiz, past CFA president and CSU Los Angeles professor emerita, reminded us of the importance of planning and the prudence around tactics. She expressed the need to know how to create visibility, have fun, and track success. She urged us to prioritize relationship-building and getting our legislators involved with our work. 

Kim Geron, past CFA vice president and CSU East Bay professor emeritus, reflected on the growing diversity in the CSU and our need to meet the times. He expressed how our organizing campaign cannot be successful without students.  

“We have to listen to them,” Geron said. “We have to learn from them and show up for them in their fights even before we try and ask them to show up for us.” Geron also asserted that we must break down whatever barriers exist between tenure-line faculty and lecturers. 

Finally, Jackie Teepen, CFA San Diego field representative, who has been a staff member at CFA for more than thirty years, asked that we find joy in the work. She also stressed that we learn to work together, lean in on each person’s individual strengths, and trust that our member leaders and staff members have the necessary experience and wisdom to ensure success within each of our chapters. 

Beyond the insight shared by these speakers, faculty also participated in two workshops. The first introduced using power mapping as a visual tool to conduct a power analysis that helps us identify key individuals who could help create real change in our institutions.  

In the second workshop, members learned how to better engage in our contract campaign. They developed key messaging, rehearsed speaking to media, and became more comfortable talking about our bargaining fight package. 

If you haven’t already, please sign this pledge for our campaign to Fund the Classroom, Not the Boardroom.  

July CSU Board of Trustees Meeting  

CFA members and our union siblings showed up and showed out during the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on July 20-21.  

On the first day, faculty joined Teamsters Local 2010 and Unite HERE outside the Long Beach Marriott. Chancellor Mildred García and the board chose to meet there, despite the hotel being on Unite HERE’s boycott list. Union members picketed outside to call attention to how CSU management disrespected its workers at the bargaining table and also failed to support labor in other industries. 

Union coalition members —including those from the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), Academic Professionals of California (APC), and United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4123 — made our voices heard during public comment the next day. Many asked the board to invest in the workers who make the CSU run.  

Speakers included Thomas Corrigan, CFA member and CSU San Bernardino (CSUSB) professor. Corrigan shared the chapter’s demands for the board to not give former CSUSB campus president Tomás Morales exit benefits, such as transition pay and retreat rights. He details how Morales was accused of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in a lawsuit that the university recently settled for $12 million. 

Media outlets also covered CFA’s opposition to the board approving a golden parachute for Morales. We collected the coverage here.  

During the meeting, union members also delivered more than 7,000 letters of no confidence in the CSU leadership because of how they have been insulting workers in bargaining. The board was forced to take a meeting recess after members chanted “No confidence!” repeatedly. 

Substantial Funding for the CSU 

CFA secured a $366 million (or 7%) increase in new ongoing base General Fund support for the CSU in 2026-27! 

This was no small feat. Our members and our union siblings advocated tirelessly every step of the way to ensure our legislators and the governor knew the value of public higher education and the difference that a CSU education can make for our students and our local communities. 

The funding breaks down as follows: 

  • An allocation of $264.8 million (or 5%) base increase for 2026-27, which reflects the fifth-year base increase in the multiyear compact. 
  • An additional $100.9 million (or 2%) increase associated with the 2025-26 compact with the CSU that was postponed under last year’s budget agreement. 
  • An extension for the deferral of the CSU’s one-time 3% base decrease of $144 million from 2026–27 to 2027–28. The deferral means that the CSU has an extra year to repay the loan the state gave in 2025-26. 

The state General Fund is one of two sources that pays for CSU’s operating expenses, with student tuition and fees being the other. These operating expenses cover faculty and staff compensation (e.g., salaries, pensions, health benefits) as well as infrastructure maintenance, utilities, and so on. State funding covers roughly 60% of operating costs, and student tuition and fees cover the rest. 

This is why we place such heavy emphasis on legislative advocacy. We must ensure our operating expenses are sufficiently funded. Without adequate funding, it may prove challenging to grow or maintain our academic programs, prevent workload creep, retain support services, and preserve our workforce. 

However, getting that funding is only half of the battle. Our university, along with other public higher education systems in the country, have—for the last half-century or so—been plagued with administrative bloat and a misuse of taxpayer dollars. These administrators, a majority of whom have no faculty experience, pour hundreds of millions of dollars of our money into lavish buildings, dormitories, stadiums, etc., hand themselves excessive compensation increases, and perpetually hire private consultants whose recommendations always include cutting the workforce and academic programs.  

Our role as educators is to ensure our students have the highest quality education possible. That means our responsibilities go beyond the scope of the classroom. We must be present at public hearings, walk the halls of our legislators, and speak out when we witness behavior that damages or lessens the value of our students’ education. 

Academic Freedom 

University autonomy continues to plummet in this country, as sharply as 50% in the past decade. 

Faculty across the nation have been fired, disciplined, and retaliated against for exercising their First Amendment right to engage in political speech. The Trump administration’s efforts to ban books and erase history is not an attempt to protect students, children, or community members, but an attempt to replace knowledge with propaganda and ideological conformity.  

Instead of challenging these attempts to suppress free speech, Chancellor García and CSU leadership compounded the problem by limiting speech for all campus members. Multiple students have been hit with alleged violations of the interim Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) policy, which dictate when and how public speech can occur. At one point, CSU Long Beach’s addendum to the CSU Systemwide Time, Place, and Manner Policy included a rule citing that any signs or posters must be in English-only or that they must be translated into English. The chancellor also attempted to ban face masks but CFA was able to get that policy removed. 

CSU management also disclosed faculty’s personal information in response to a subpoena from the Trump Administration’s US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which had initiated a systemwide antisemitism complaint against the CSU. 

Academic freedom should not be taken lightly. Restricting it doesn’t just mean we lose our ability to organize, protest, or speak out against injustices we face. It also means losing our ability to teach, research, and pursue knowledge without unreasonable interference from law, institutional regulations, or public pressure. 

Given the feedback from our members, we’ve made it a priority to focus on protecting academic freedom by including a stand-alone article on academic freedom in our upcoming contract. We are also sponsoring Assembly Bill 2551, which intends to combat the chilling effects of the TPM policy. The bill has passed both legislative chambers and is pending final approval from the governor. 

Students for Quality Education (SQE) Fall Kickoff 

The SQE Internship Program kicked off this past weekend in Sacramento! Interns from almost every campus were present for their start-of-the-year training.  

Berta-Ávila and CFA Executive Director Janeth Rodriguez offered inspiring welcome messages, while Kevin Wehr, CFA bargaining chair and Sacramento State professor, along with Kim Carter Martinez, CFA Northern California organizing director, led an impactful session on bargaining. Students learned how to get involved in educating other students and build student-faculty solidarity, including getting CFA members connected to their chapter’s Campus Action Team (CAT). Eric Paredes, CFA’s legislative director, introduced students to our legislative work and shared how his own experience of being an SQE intern led him to the work he is doing for CFA today.  

Several returning interns also led workshops for their peers, including grasping the relationship between power and oppression, learning to organize and mobilize others, and identifying and responding to right-wing organizations on campus. 

What was most notable about this kickoff wasn’t just that it was educational, but that it helped strengthen the bonds and joy shared among the SQE interns. 

Sonoma State Restores Athletics Programs 

After public outcry and protests from students, faculty, staff, and the local community, Sonoma State University (SSU) has reversed a part of its 2025 decision to eliminate Sonoma State’s athletics program. Michael Spagna, the campus’ new president since January 2026, made the decision to relaunch the NCAA athletics with 10 men’s and women’s sports beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. He plans to spend $2.8 million of the $8 million set aside from the state’s SSU Commitment fund. 

Management’s initial decision to discontinue the athletics program forced 27 coaches out of work and robbed 227 student athletes of their positions. 

An ongoing lawsuit filed by SSU student-athletes has moved its way up to the California Supreme Court, alleging Chancellor García and CSU administrators knew about the planned elimination but kept their plan private until just two days into the spring semester.  

Regardless, irreversible harm has already been done by the chancellor and former SSU president Emily Cutrer. Little to no advance notice was given to students about the program closures, and many of them had their lives uprooted and felt completely abandoned. Combined with a short timeline to apply elsewhere, many students grappled with the transfer process, securing scholarships, obtaining housing, and finding other athletic teams they could be a part of. 

Management stated that ex-coaches could apply for their positions again, though they wouldn’t have a guarantee that they would get their jobs back.

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