CSU, faculty reach tentative agreement, ending Cal Poly strike after one day

The union that represents 29,000 faculty members across the 23 California State University campuses including Cal Poly called off its strike Monday night after the two sides reached a tentative agreement.

Faculty intended to strike for the entire week, but the bargaining committee of the California Faculty Association announced a surprise agreement with the CSU on Monday and decided to call off the strike, according to a CFA news release.

That means faculty will return to work as normal on Tuesday, the union said.

“The collective action of so many lecturers, professors, counselors, librarians, and coaches over these last eight months forced CSU management to take our demands seriously. This Tentative Agreement makes major gains for all faculty at the CSU,” CFA President Charles Toombs said in the release.

The CSU also issued a news release Monday night confirming the agreement.

“I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately,” CSU Chancellor Mildred García said. “The agreement enables the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the university system’s long-term financial sustainability. With the agreement in place, I look forward to advancing our student-centered work — together — as the nation’s greatest driver of social mobility and the pipeline fueling California’s diverse and educated workforce.”

The tentative agreement includes a 5% retroactive general salary increase, another 5% salary increase (contingent on the CSU’s budget increasing this year), raising the salary floor for the lecturer A and B positions by $3,000 respectively, a salary step increase of 2.65% for the fiscal year 2024-25, increased parental leave from six to 10 weeks, protections for faculty who interact with police, improved access to gender neutral bathrooms and lactation spaces, and an extension of the CFA’s current contract until June 30, 2025, according to an email sent to faculty.

The union had been asking for a 12% raise, along with a number of other requests.

“This historic agreement was won because of members’ solidarity, collective action, bravery, and love for each other and our students,” said Antonio Gallo, CFA associate vice president of lecturers, south. “This is what People Power looks like. This deal immensely improves working conditions for faculty and strengthens learning conditions for students.”

Cal Poly alerted students of the strike’s end in an email Monday night.

“We are pleased to share the news with you that the California State University (CSU) and the California Faculty Association (CFA) have reached a tentative contract agreement and that strike activity is canceled for the rest of the week on all CSU campuses, including Cal Poly,” said the email from Albert A. Liddicoast, vice president for university personnel and chief human resources officer.

“Classes canceled by the strike are expected to resume effective immediately,” the email said. “Students are advised to look for messages from their instructors and through Canvas regarding adjustments to their classes.”

Faculty members strike at Cal Poly

In San Luis Obispo, the CFA strike kicked off early Monday as faculty members hit the picket lines at the entrances to campus.

“A lot of us — especially starting assistant professors — don’t make a living wage,” CFA-SLO President Lisa Kawamura said. “Some of them are below the poverty line and have a hard time getting housing.”

Under rainy skies, picketers marched holding signs, ringing bells and blowing whistles.

“Our lecturers certainly don’t make a living wage, and many of them are not full time so they’re having to go to other campuses, teach other classes online, and that puts a real burden on the students,” Kawamura added. “If I have to go teach a class at Cuesta, I can’t stay extra office hours for you, or I have less time to spend on email answering questions.”

Cal Poly did not cancel classes this week, but some professors canceled classes on their own to honor the strike, according to university spokesperson Matt Lazier. Other professors continued to teach or post assignments online for their students.

“Some people are continuing to teach, which we understand,” Kawamura said. “But if it’s not felt in the system — if students aren’t feeling the hurt and the system isn’t feeling that hurt, than this is all for naught.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 10:09 PM with the headline "CSU, faculty reach tentative agreement, ending Cal Poly strike after one day."