California State University (CSU) system employees who are members of the California Faculty Association (CFA) will go on strike next week, starting Monday.
Dr. Christopher CoxCal State University
The multi-day strike – from Jan. 22-26. – was prompted by the faculty union’s demands not being met, including the pay increases they asked for. The union is asking for 12%-raises, though the school system is offering increases of just 5% after recent negotiations.
Around 29,000 of CSU’s employees are members of the CFA, a union that represents not just tenured faculty, but also the likes of librarians, counselors, and coaches.
The union is making a number of requests of CSU, including more manageable workloads, more counselors for student mental health, full semester-long paid parental leave, lactation and milk storage spaces for lactating faculty, and safety provisions for faculty interactions with university police.
"CSU management has only addressed our conflict over salary," said Dr. Chris Cox, one of CFA’s associate vice presidents for racial and social justice. "They have completely ignored the issues of workload, health and safety concerns, and parental leave.
“Management wouldn’t even consider our proposals for appropriate class sizes, proper lactation spaces for nursing parents, gender inclusive bathroom spaces, and a clear delineation of our rights when interacting with campus authorities.”
The school system will remain open and will have contingency plans to maintain university operations, according to a CSU spokesperson. To note, faculty can cancel individual classes to honor the strike.
