The California Faculty Association will move forward with their members going on strike starting the first week of December if a resolution is not reached with the California State University system’s management, the CFA announced on Thursday.
The decision came after 95% of CFA members voted in favor of a strike authorization on Oct. 30. The negotiations remain at an impasse.
Four CSU campuses plan to hold one-day strikes starting on Dec. 4 if the CFA and CSU are unable to settle their re-opener contract once the statutory process is complete.
- Cal Poly Pomona on Dec. 4
- San Francisco State University on Dec. 5
- CSU Los Angeles on Dec. 6
- Sacramento State University on Dec. 7
“These campuses were selected to lead our efforts to get the best contract possible for members by engaging in actions, pickets, and various solidarity events,” the CFA released in a statement on Thursday. “CFA members are prepared to withhold our labor to get the contract we deserve.”
CFA says that if the demonstrations fail to convince the CSU to settle, the association’s board won’t hesitate to implement more strikes during the spring semester.
“It’s in everyone’s interest for our strike to be definitive; a strong showing in December may prevent ongoing disruption in the spring,” said Brad Erickson, the CFA chapter president at SFSU, in a statement to GGX. “I invite all members of the campus community to be physically present on campus on December 5 to take part in strike activities.”
Faculty members are urged to prepare for the strike on the aforementioned campuses. Faculty from other schools are also invited to join picket lines during times they do not have to teach.
“CFA members are prepared to withhold our labor to get the contract we deserve,” the CFA Board of Directors wrote in an email to its members. “We recognize the need to join together and fight CSU management’s disinvestment in the people who are directly responsible for student learning and success.”
According to the email, CSU management has rejected the list of demands that range from pay increases to accessible lactation spaces for lactating faculty.
“CSU management will learn the hard way that faculty are not willing to settle for less than they deserve. CSU management will learn what employers around the country are having to learn — employees deserve better pay and working conditions,” CFA President Charles Toombs said in an email to CFA members.
The CFA is close to finishing the statutory process. This will allow them to legally strike on the proposed dates.
“If this first strike week fails to convince management to offer fair contract terms, the CFA Board of Directors intends to call additional strikes in the spring semester,” Erickson said.
Also mentioned in the email, members from Teamsters Local 2010 –– CSU’s trade workers –– will embark on a Nov. 14 strike. Click here to learn more about their plans.
