Strike ends at California State University as agreement reached

A strike at California State University ended after one day as staff reached an agreement with the institution.

The tentative agreement reached between the California Faculty Association (CFA) and management will include a 5 per cent salary increase for all faculty at the largest public university in the US.

A week-long strike had been scheduled involving the 29,000 CSU professors, lecturers, librarians and coaches at all 23 campuses, who had been asking for a three-year contract that begins with a 12 per cent pay rise.

The CFA said its “hard-earned” agreement reflected the solidarity displayed by faculty, staff and students across all 23 campuses.

“The collective action of so many lecturers, professors, counsellors, librarians and coaches over these last eight months forced CSU management to take our demands seriously,” said CFA president Charles Toombs.

“This tentative agreement makes major gains for all faculty at the CSU.”

Alongside a 5 per cent retroactive salary rise, the tentative agreement will bring a further 5 per cent increase for all staff in July if the state does not reduce base funding. It also raises the salary floor for the lowest-paid workers.

Other features of the deal include an expansion of paid parental leave, from six weeks to 10 weeks, a service step increase of 2.65 per cent for 2024-25, and improved access to breastfeeding spaces and gender-inclusive toilets.

​“I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately,” said Mildred García, CSU’s chancellor.

“The agreement enables the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the university system’s long-term financial sustainability.”

The union had voted in favour of the strike after administrators ended eight months of negotiations, saying that the 12 per cent request was unaffordable and that they would instead give the workers a 5 per cent rise starting this month.

It said this victory was an extension of campaigns across the country to transform higher education, including the system-wide teaching assistant strike at the University of California and the gains won by University of Southern California graduate students, among others.

Antonio Gallo, associate vice-president of lecturers of the southern CFA branch, said: “This is what people power looks like.

“This deal immensely improves working conditions for faculty and strengthens learning conditions for students.”

Now that the tentative agreement has been reached, CFA members will have an opportunity to ratify the contract in the coming weeks.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com