California – On Monday, faculty members at all 23 campuses of California State University began a historic strike. This was a turning point in their ongoing dispute over pay raises and extra benefits. This is the first action of its kind to involve all campuses at the same time since the California Faculty Association was founded in 1983. It comes after more than six months of failed talks to get the staff a 12% pay raise.
The faculty have already held one-day strikes on four campuses, and this week’s strike will make their efforts to get what they want even stronger. Dirk Horn, a political science lecturer at Cal State Bakersfield, talks about how hard it is for faculty to make ends meet. He says that he has to do extra teaching and gig work to cover his costs. Nearly 460,000 students in the country’s largest public four-year university system will likely have trouble with their studies during this strike, which started at the same time as the start of the spring term.
Cal State has kept campuses open during the strike and is letting teachers decide if they want to keep teaching. The university warns, though, that giving in to the faculty’s demands could mean firing people and cutting back on services for students. On the other hand, the faculty union says that the university has the money to meet their needs.
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The faculty union and Cal State management haven’t talked about the situation in negotiations since they broke down two weeks ago, but they did talk over the weekend. Teamsters Local 2010, which represents skilled maintenance workers, on the other hand, has been able to negotiate a contract, which stopped their planned strike.
The pay dispute is still very important. The university is only offering a 5% raise, while the union is asking for a 12% raise, citing inflationary pressures. The faculty doesn’t agree with the university’s plan for a 15% raise over three years that depends on state funding. The ongoing tension is shown by the difference in pay raises between faculty and campus presidents, as well as the rules for other benefits like parental leave and mental health support.
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As the strike goes on, both students and teachers are dealing with the uncertainty it brings. Some students have spoken out in support of their teachers’ right to go on strike for fair pay and working conditions. How this case turns out could have long-lasting effects on the university system, its teachers, and its students.
