After strike, CSU faculty approve new contract agreement

Members of the California Faculty Association have voted to approve a new contract agreement with the California State University, union officials announced Monday.

The CFA, which represents more than 29,000 tenure-line instructional faculty, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches in the 23-campuses system, said 76% of voting members approved the agreement.

"We thank members for their solidarity, debate, and courage to press CSU management for better faculty working and student learning conditions, especially everyone who worked tirelessly organizing the successful strikes and joining the picket lines," CFA President Charles Toombs said. "We look forward to working together to continue our advocacy for an equitable CSU. We have special gratitude to our students and sibling union members, as well as elected leaders and public education allies who joined our cause and showed up in favor of investing in our CSU."

The deal must still be approved by CSU trustees. Their next meeting is scheduled for March 24-27, but the CFA said it has urged officials to call a special Board of Trustees sooner to vote on the matter.

A statement from the CSU said officials were "pleased" with the results of the ratification vote.

"This agreement provides for a 10 percent general salary increase to all faculty by July, with a raise in salary minimums for the lowest-paid faculty that will result in increases -- some as high as 21 percent -- for many of them. It also addresses issues that the CFA identified as extremely important to its members, such as increased paid family leave from 6 to 10 weeks and a process for making gender-inclusive restrooms and lactation spaces more easily accessible," the CSU statement said.

"We look forward to the CSU Board of Trustees Committee on Collective Bargaining ratification of the agreement in March and to continue working in partnership with the CFA and its members to carry out our mission in service to our students and the university."

The agreement, which was reached Jan. 22, includes a 5% general salary increase for all faculty retroactive to July 1, 2023, a 5% general salary increase for all faculty on July 1, 2024, (contingent on the state not reducing base funding to the CSU) and a 2.65% service salary increase for the 2024-25 academic year.

The deal extends the contract in effect since 2022 one year to June 30, 2025.

The agreement took eight months to hammer out, a process that also saw two short labor actions by the CFA.

The CSU also recently reached agreement on a new three-year contract for 1,100 skilled trades workers, which was later approved by 91% of voting members of Teamsters Local 2010.

Copyright 2024, City News Service, Inc.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly labeled a salary increase. It has since been fixed.