The State Worker

The union that represents faculty members in the California State University system has launched a nasty counterattack against CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed and his plan to furlough professors two days a month to save $275 million.

The California Faculty Association issued a blistering statement attacking Reed's budget cutting furlough plan after The State Worker reported Tuesday that Reed had pressed the union to put his furlough proposal to a vote by its members. 

Read that post here.   

The CFA's response was quick - and the tone was downright nasty.

"Chancellor Reed and his administration have focused for years on their own perks, spent millions on labor consultants and done little to advocate for adequate CSU funding; now their incomplete CSU budget proposal would address less than half the projected shortfall, leaving a $300 million deficit with no plan to close it; tens of thousands of students are at risk of losing out on a college education.

"Would you buy a "pig in a poke" -- in this case, a pay cut deal composed of vague promises about what is inside the paper bag? CFA won't.

The CFA said it's well aware of the massive budget collapse that the California University system is facing with the rest of the state and the union acknowledged that this coming year's state funding shortfall will be worse.

"So we expected to see a creative, well-thought-out plan from our leadership. Chancellor Reed's administration has long been raising its own compensation and packing the ranks of managers because, they claimed, they need the best at the top. Well, this is their time to shine," CFA President Lillian Taiz said in a statement.

"Instead, they have come up with a half-baked plan to cut employee pay that ostensibly would address a little less than half the funding shortfall. And, when asked about the remaining $300 million deficit, our Chancellor said he 'has no plan,'"Taiz said.

The CFA boss then said Reed's Monday statement misrepresented its talks with CFA.

The union said CSU brass omitted the most important questions it asked about the Chancellor's proposal that basically asks for a blank check to deal with the crisis.

The question? If CSU faculty agrees to a furlough, will that prevent layoffs?

The CFA says the answer it got was a resounding "No" from senior CSU university executives, many of whom earn more than $300,000 a year and live rent-free in university owned homes and are supplied university-issued cars.