For nine months the California Faculty Association (CFA) was fighting for better working conditions with the California State University (CSU). They reached a tentative agreement on Jan. 23. Today, that tentative agreement was ratified.
“We had a historic statewide strike,” said Loren Cannon, the Chair of Faculty Rights with CFA. “Never has happened before of the 23 CSUs. We know we can do it again if we need to.”
The CFA had a one-day strike after their planned one-week strike that took place on Jan. 22 at all CSU campuses. This movement made them return to the bargaining table and discuss the faculty’s demands.
“The California State University (CSU) is pleased with the results of the California Faculty Association’s (CFA) ratification vote,” said the California State University Office of the Chancellor, from a CSU statement. “This agreement provides for a 10 percent general salary increase to all faculty by July, with a raise in salary minimums for the lowest-paid faculty that will result in increases—some as high as 21 percent—for many of them. It also addresses issues that the CFA identified as extremely important to its members, such as increased paid family leave from 6 to 10 weeks and a process for making gender-inclusive restrooms and lactation spaces more easily accessible. We look forward to the CSU Board of Trustees Committee on Collective Bargaining ratification of the agreement in March and to continue working in partnership with the CFA and its members to carry out our mission in service to our students and the university.”
76% voted yes for the contract proposed by CSU. This contract is for California State University professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches at all 23 CSU campuses. But this is only for one year. The CFA will begin bargaining again in October for the 2025 academic year. CFA members say they feel confident to return to the bargaining table after this historic fight.
“I think of a union as a family and I think now what we need to do is come together and enjoy the successes that we have together,” Cannon said. “And then build on those successes for later. Bargaining as an iterative process. You don’t get everything you want every single time. But I think we got a really good deal, and I just hope that we can come together as a union and celebrate that.”
