California State University faculty ends strike after 1 day as tentative deal reached

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- One day into a strike by thousands of California State University faculty members, a tentative agreement was reached that will return campuses to full operations on Tuesday.

The California Faculty Association announced the deal late Monday night, saying it "includes raising the floor for our most vulnerable faculty, safer workplaces & expanded parental leave."

About 29,000 faculty members and other workers started the five-day strike Monday morning across all 23 campuses to fight for what they called fair cost-of-living wage raises and other benefits.

Students and faculty members were being told they could return to campuses on Tuesday.

The union says the deal includes various salary increases, including a 5% boost for all faculty retroactive to July 1, 2023 and another 5% on July 1, 2024. It also includes longer time for paid parental leave and a series of other benefits.

CSU administrators confirmed a deal was in place and that faculty members will return to work immediately.

"I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately," said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. "The agreement enables the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the university system's long-term financial sustainability. With the agreement in place, I look forward to advancing our student-centered work - together - as the nation's greatest driver of social mobility and the pipeline fueling California's diverse and educated workforce."

If the strike had continued, CSU officials were still keeping campuses open and not canceling classes across the board, as they noted not all instructors were participating in the strike. But students were urged to check online to determine the status of their individual classes.

A similar strike by the Teamsters union was averted Friday when a deal was reached with 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.