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Members of the union representing roughly 29,000 California State University faculty members, librarians and others have approved the tentative agreement that emerged from the union’s one-day strike last month.
The deal includes a 5 percent raise, retroactive to July 1, 2023; another 5 percent bump next academic year, unless the state cuts CSU’s base funding; a salary increase for the lowest-paid lecturers from $54,360 to $66,082 by July 1, 2024; and 10 weeks of paid parental leave, up from six.
In a news release Monday, Charles Toombs, president of the California Faculty Association union, thanked 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.” He expressed “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 release said 76 percent of voting members approved the new contract and that “thousands of members” cast ballots. The union doesn’t publicly release vote turnout numbers, a spokeswoman said.
In December, the union called for a weeklong strike across all 23 CSU campuses, beginning Jan. 22. But it announced the tentative deal and called off the walkout after the first day. Some members publicly campaigned against the deal, expressing disappointment that the strike didn’t last longer.
“We know that some members had strong concerns about the process and questions about the result,” Sharon Elise, the union’s associate vice president of racial and social justice, South region, said in the release. “We will only be successful if we’re working together to continue building a CSU that empowers students and provides work environments that support faculty and staff.”
In a separate release, the CSU chancellor’s office said it was pleased with the vote results and looks forward to the agreement’s ratification by a Board of Trustees committee next month. Officials vowed to continue working with the union “to carry out our mission in service to our students and the university.”
