California Faculty Union Has Tentative Settlement

UPDATE: Officials with the California Faculty Association and the California State University system  reached a a tentative agreement to avoid a strike.  The agreement calls for a 10.5% increase in salaries over the next two years.  This dispute was over a contract re-opener. Only the salaries were in dispute.

Seth Sandronsky
Members of the 26,000-strong California Faculty Association (CFA) are threatening to carry out their first system-wide, simultaneous strike in the event contract talks with the California State University administration (CSU) reach a stalemate. The union, which represents faculty, counselors, librarians and athletics coaches, is seeking a five percent raise, along with 2.65 percent service step, or seniority, increases, and says its members will walk out on all 23 campuses April 13-15 and April 18-19. (Disclosure: CFA is a financial supporter of Capital & Main.)
The university system claims it cannot afford to pay the salary increases and is offering a two percent salary hike. “Half of all the new state funding provided to the CSU this year is being directed toward employee compensation,” said CSU Chancellor Tim White in an email to Capital & Main.

Faculty No-Sweat Network Created

by Paul Garver

Thirty-five academics have launched a faculty network to support the ongoing struggle on American campuses for workers’ rights.  Building upon recent victories by the campus-based movement against sweatshops, reported earlier on Talking Union, the professors are circulating the following open letter, inviting more faculty members to join the Faculty No-Sweat Network, and urging their support in promoting the Alta Gracia label of no-sweat clothing at campus bookstores.

Over 200 campuses already carry the Alta Gracia brand. Since the workers that produce Alta Gracia clothing in the Dominican Republic are free to join a union and receive substantially higher wages than those of the more numerous sweatshop employers, American students on those campuses have an unusual opportunity to promote the rights of workers.

Thousands to march in budget protests in California

The California Faculty Association along with public education supporters from Pre-K through PhD continue to prepare for a growing national effort and statewide day of action. 

In California, March 4th will be a unified effort of education supporters from all segments of public education in California where participants will hold rallies, demonstrations, teach-ins, and other types of events on every CSU campus and at other locations across the state. 
The goal of this day is to raise awareness about the crisis in public education and the need to fully fund our schools, colleges and universities. 
See the CFA ( NEA and SEIU) rally list here. 

Additional rallies listed here.