The California State University announced on Tuesday, Jan. 9, that it will give all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches a 5% salary increase, which officials said would conclude contract negotiations.
The decision was made after the latest round of negotiations with the California Faculty Association failed to yield an agreement that would provide faculty salary increases while still allowing the CSU to best serve students within the limits of its resources, according to the CSU, whose headquarters are in Long Beach.
Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which, the 23-campus university system said, was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs. That would have jeopardized the system’s educational mission, the CSU said.
CFA representatives did not immediately return calls for comment.
But the CFA — hich represents 29,000 lecturers, librarians, counselors and other employees — has sought a 12% jump in pay for some faculty, more counselors to support students’ mental health, expanded paid parental leave, and increased safety provisions for faculty interacting with university police.
“CFA members are emphatic that low pay, growing workloads and systemic inequalities are not sustainable,” a previous CFA statement said. “CSU management needs to invest their money where it matters, the people and programs with direct impact on student learning and success.”
In addition to the general salary increase the CSU will provide, system officials said, there will also be an increase department chairperson pay.
“With this action, we will ensure that well-deserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible,” Leora Freedman, CSU’s vice chancellor for human resources, said in a statement. “We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option.”
The 5% salary increase is consistent with agreements the CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions, according to the university.
“Our overriding responsibility is to manage a systemwide budget in a fiscally sustainable manner,” Freedman said. “We are committed to paying fair, competitive salaries and benefits for our hard-working faculty members, who are delivering instruction to our students every day and are the cornerstone of our university system. But we must also operate within our means to protect the long-term success and stability of the university, our students and our faculty.”
The CSU said that without a change in bargaining position by the CFA, the pay raise announcement concludes bargaining on their contract reopener.
“CSU and CFA can now begin successor bargaining on the full contract,” according to the CSU, which said it “remains committed to the collective bargaining process.”
Last month, two unions representing faculty and other CSU employees announced a weeklong strike across all campuses in late January.
Teamsters Local 2010, which represents more than 17,000 clerical, administrative and skilled trade workers in the University of California and CSU systems, called for the strike following what they say was the CSU system’s “repeated refusal to bargain in good faith and treat workers with respect.”