Weeklong faculty strike begins as spring semester commences

The rain and cold did little to dampen the spirits of faculty members on Monday as the weeklong California Faculty Association strike began across all 23 California State University campuses. Despite less than ideal conditions, faculty members, students and supporters lined the streets outside of Cal State Long Beach.

In stark contrast to the full parking lots and walkways that normally accompany the first day of a new semester, campus was largely empty. Many professors, lecturers and instructors canceled the first week of classes to join in the strike.

Confusion was widespread among the CSULB student body leading up to the strike. Many students were unsure whether classes were officially canceled or what the repercussions of missing classes would be if they chose not to cross the picket line. The CSULB administration did not cancel classes for the week of the strike, leaving it to professors to individually inform their students of their plans for class.

“Our campus will be open, some classes will continue to meet during the strike. Students should continue to attend classes and complete their academic assignments,” the CSULB Administration said in a message on the Canvas homepage and through email.

Many students were present on campus, but the diminished numbers compared to previous semesters were noticeable.

“I think that everybody should respect the strike. If they’re not going to participate they should at least stay home and boycott coming to campus if we’re going to be treated like this,” Emily Berquist-Soule, a history professor at CSULB, said.

The CFA has been in negotiations with the CSU since last spring and continues to advocate for a 12% general salary increase (GSI) over the next academic year. The faculty will receive a raise of 5% effective Jan. 31. Disagreements over wage increases are not the only thing keeping the two sides from reaching an agreement.

The CFA is asking for a full semester of paid parental leave, manageable workloads, pay equity for the lowest paid staff, more counselors to improve students’ access to mental health services and gender-inclusive restrooms. They are also asking for safety provisions for faculty interacting with university police on campus and access to lactation spaces and milk storage spaces for lactating faculty.

“For me, it’s the workload. I for years and years was teaching seven or eight classes a semester at three different campuses just to make a living. After a decade, I just got my first major raise, and it amounted to like $347 a month. And that quickly raised benefits by 40 bucks, and then my rent got raised by $200. So it’s like, I’m just sort of back to where I started after teaching my first class here in 2008,” English professor, Jenny Bass, said.

Many faculty members expressed gratitude for the way the campus community has largely come together to support the faculty.

“I grew up in Carson, California and not too far away from here. It feels wonderful. I feel so seen. I feel so supported. And my hope is that the community comes out to keep supporting our faculty strike. Thank you,” said Elaine Bernal, a lecturer of biochemistry and chemistry.

Many students also showed up in support of their instructors, joining the picket and refusing to report professors who canceled class.

“To me, one of the best things about this campus is how much the teachers care, and the sort of kindness that they really embody. And I’m an aspiring professor as well and it’s something that I’ve like internalized seeing them, you know, model all of this, like love and appreciation for education,” said Rio Bungalon, a graduate student and teaching assistant in the math department.

The CSU has continued to assert that meeting CFA’s demands would put the university in financial jeopardy and cause cuts to student services. According to the CSU​ Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea, the demanded 12% raise would cost an estimated $380 million in the first year if implemented.

CFA contends the university has ample funds to the tune of $8.6 billion. However, Relyea states that $8.6 billion is the total amount of cash that flows through the system. About $7.8 billion of that money is tied up in critical commitments and is by state law not allowed to be used for things like faculty salaries.

“When you take away those parts of the cash that is on hand, you’re left with what’s about $766 million of true reserves that can be obligated for specific purposes. And of that $766 million, again, it’s one-time money. So once it’s gone, its gone, it cannot by definition, be used to fund ongoing obligations like salaries,” Relyea said.

Another criticism CFA continues to lodge at the CSU is Chancellor Mildred Garcia’s salary, which stands at $795,000, according to the CFA. In addition, Garcia receives $80,000 in deferred compensation, $12,000 in yearly car allowance and $96,000 a year in housing allowance.

An independent fact-finding report released in November recommended a 7% GSI over the next year based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for goods and services. Of the 15 categories covered by the report, the CSU agreed with the fact finder’s recommendation in 13 of the 15 categories covered. According to the CSU, their offer of a 15% GSI over the next three years would exceed the anticipated CPI increase. CFA has indicated they are not interested in a multi-year contract.

The strike will continue all week with classes resuming as scheduled next week. It is unclear now where the negotiations will go from here, but either side may return to the bargaining table at any time.