- CSUSB Faculty Poised for Potential Strike Action
CSU East Bay communication lecturer Kevin Pina emphasizes the need for better pay, smaller class sizes, improved working conditions, and increased time off for faculty and staff. Join the movement for change by signing the commitment card today. #CSUForChange
In a tense standoff between California State University (CSU) management and faculty, members of the California Faculty Association (CFA) are intensifying their demands for improved working conditions, equitable pay, and enhanced benefits. As mediation sessions, held behind closed doors with a state-appointed third party, remain shrouded in secrecy, faculty and staff are rallying for change.
The core of the CFA’s campaign revolves around a commitment card that members are urged to complete. This commitment signifies their dedication to the cause and seeks to secure higher salaries for all faculty, fair compensation for the lowest-paid educators, better parental leave policies, manageable workloads, increased access to mental health counselors for students, and a prioritization of health and safety across the CSU system.
Kevin Pina, a communication lecturer and representative of the CFA East Bay Lecturers Council, is a leading force on his campus, serving on the Contract Action Team. “Our message is clear: Faculty deserve more pay,” Pina stated emphatically. “You and your students deserve more quality time in the classroom together by lowering your course caps. You deserve to always feel healthy and secure in your work environment. You deserve more paid time off to manage life’s unexpected events, whether that be the joy and care of a new child or a crisis in your family. Sign the commit card today to achieve the CSU we deserve.”
As the academic year commences, campuses are abuzz with updates on the contentious bargaining process, and CSU management is feeling the mounting pressure.
Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester’s recent communication to all faculty and staff has been met with skepticism and frustration. Koester presented an austerity message that many faculty members consider disingenuous. Her attempts to justify budget constraints have been met with accusations of insincerity. In a video message this week, Koester continued to emphasize financial difficulties, further fueling discontent among CSU employees.
However, faculty members have been quick to highlight what they see as a stark contrast between words and actions. Koester’s claim that CSU management values the “transformative magic” of faculty and staff is being openly questioned. Faculty members have expressed their disillusionment with salary offers that fail to keep pace with inflation, particularly when juxtaposed with double-digit salary increases, reaching up to 29%, for CSU executives under her leadership.
Furthermore, Koester’s warnings of “difficult and painful” decisions on campuses have been met with skepticism. Critics point to what they perceive as an expanding administrative bureaucracy, alongside reports of CSU accumulating substantial financial reserves – $8.6 billion in cash investments and $3.7 billion in reserves.
Many within the CFA argue that the status quo is unsustainable and detrimental to both faculty and students. As this contentious bargaining process unfolds, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on CSU management’s commitment to addressing faculty concerns and delivering a fair and equitable academic environment.
