Continuing their fight for a new contract, the California Faculty Association held a one day strike at Cal State University Los Angeles on Wednesday, demanding higher wages, paid family leave and improved working conditions.
This was one of four strikes taking place this week as part of the CFA’s rolling strike. Faculty at Sacramento State, Cal Poly Pomona and San Francisco State held strikes or are planning to hold strikes this week.
The union has finished the legal statutory process and now has the legal authority to strike. The CSU’s last contract offer was a 5% general salary increase per year for the next three years, a post promotion increase of 2.65% in the 2024-25 fiscal year, eight weeks of paid parental leave and a 2.65 % service salary increase, according to a letter sent by the CSU to faculty.
In a letter sent to its members, CFA said the following:
“Management must think that faculty can’t do math. Management claims their latest salary offer as ’15 percent over three years’ (even they acknowledge that is not guaranteed). We are demanding a 12-percent General Salary Increase for just 2023-24 to keep pace with rising costs of living.”
“We will fight for more when the full contract opens next year. The three-year nature of management’s proposal would mean that we cannot bargain over other workplace issues for three years.”
Students, faculty and staff marched on CSULA’s campus chanting CSU slogans and at one point even shutting down the intersection of North Eastern Avenue and State University Drive.
Many students from several CSU campuses joined the picket line in support of their professors and instructors.
“I’ve had lots of professors talk about how they have second jobs. I’ve had professors who say that they can’t pay their car, that they can’t pay for the light bill and they’re stressed out. Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,” said Anita Rangel, a Chicana Studies major at CSU Los Angeles.
Rangel said she encourages other students across the CSU to stand in solidarity with their professors during this fight.
In addition to 12% salary increases, the CFA is asking for a full semester of paid parental leave, improved work load and an increase in salary for its lowest paid members.
“Honestly, after 23 years, my experience of the administration’s attitude towards faculty is one of disrespect. They don’t really recognize that we and the students are what allowed them to have their jobs and to keep the CSU going,” said Alejandra Marchevsky Chair of the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at CSULA. “I think there’s a profound, both disrespect but also disconnect. with what we actually do and what happens in the classroom,”
One more strike is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 7 at Sacramento State and it is unclear at this time whether any other strikes will take place this year.