LOS ANGELES—Nearly 30,000 faculty members and other employees began a five-day strike against the California State University (CSU) system on the first day of the spring semester Jan. 22—while the university sought to downplay campus disruptions stemming from the massive walkout by citing “misinformation” about classes being canceled.
“Classes are not canceled,” the university said in a statement Monday. “Individual faculty members who decide to strike will cancel their own classes. Students should check their class portals or contact their professors to find out whether they intend to hold class this week.
“There have been no changes to the published spring academic calendar, and the strike will not interfere with students’ ability to complete their courses and graduate on time,” the university said.
Still, some 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across the 23-campus CSU system, represented statewide by the California Faculty Association, hit the picket lines Monday—and it was unclear how many, if any, classes were actually going on as scheduled.
Pickets were scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. across the system, but some strikers were out as early as 4:30 a.m., braving rains that were hitting the Southern California region.
“We are going to show up and just prepare to be wet and cold today,” Jenny Hall, an environmental studies professor at CSU Dominguez Hills, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
“This first day, the most important thing [is] we are shutting down the campuses for the whole week. So don’t go to your classes this week. Don’t cross the picket line. Come back on Monday next week, on the 29th.”
Meanwhile, the university said the sides were in communication over the weekend, but added, “We will not discuss any details of those communications.”
The strike is planned to run through Friday. L.A.-area schools affected are Cal State Los Angeles, Long Beach, Northridge, Dominguez Hills, Pomona, and Fullerton.
Issues include salary, workload, health and safety concerns, parental leave and class sizes.
A similar strike was averted Jan. 19 when a deal was reached with Teamsters Local 2010, which represents 1,100 skilled trade workers at 22 of the 23 CSU campuses. That deal must be ratified by the union membership and will be brought to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval at its March meeting. Skilled trades employees at the 23rd CSU school, Cal Maritime, are represented by a different union, IUOE International Union of Operating Engineers.
The Teamster skilled trade workers had also planned to begin a strike Monday, coinciding with the first week of instruction of the spring semester for many CSU campuses. That is now off.
On Jan. 9, as talks between the university and CFA stalled, CSU officials announced they would provide all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors, and coaches with a general salary increase of 5 percent effective Jan. 31—rejecting demands for much higher increases and ending negotiations.
“With this action, we will ensure that well-deserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible,” said Leora Freedman, CSU’s vice chancellor for human resources. “We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option.”
The 5 percent salary increase is consistent with agreements CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions, Ms. Freedman said. CSU officials previously said that a 12 percent general salary increase for CFA members is not sustainable for the university system.
“CSU strives to provide fair, competitive pay and benefits for all of our employees,” Ms. Freedman said. “We recognize the need to increase compensation and are committed to doing so, but our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable.”
In response, CFA President Charles Toombs issued a statement blasting CSU management for expressing “nothing but disdain” for its faculty.
“The CFA Bargaining Team reserved four days for re-opener contract negotiations this week, making every effort to bargain in good faith and explore the space for a negotiated solution before a systemwide strike Jan. 22 to 26,” Mr. Toombs said on Jan. 9.
Ahead of Monday’s walkout, CFA member and Cal Poly Pomona Counselor Maria Gisela Sanchez Cobo said in a statement, “There are so many issues within the CSU system that need to be addressed.”
“I know many faculty teach one class here, one class there,” she added. “They’re driving across their county to make ends meet—that impacts that quality of teaching, the quality of learning. ... And I’m fully hurt and disheartened that CSU management increased tuition for students. ... they have no funding, but they have enough for presidents’ raises and more and more administrators.”
Meanwhile, Monday’s university statement also said, “We respect the rights of the faculty union and their members to engage in strike activity and remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the California Faculty Association for the sake of our students, faculty, the system and the state.”
