Agreement Reached Between Calif. University and Faculty

Image of graduating students from California State University’s website.

The short story is that classes are on for next week. A strike has been averted. Here’s the details in a press release from Humboldt State University:

Today the California State University announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the California Faculty Association (CFA), resolving a year-long dispute over faculty salaries and averting planned strike activity next week by the CFA. Under the tentative agreement, which must be approved by the CFA Board of Directors, ratified by CFA members and approved by the CSU Board of Trustees, all faculty unit employees will receive 10.5 percent in general salary increases over a three-year period (fiscal years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18). If the tentative agreement is approved and ratified, faculty unit employees will receive a 5 percent general salary increase on June 30, 2016, a 2 percent general salary increase on July 1, 2016, and a 3.5 percent general salary increase on July 1, 2017. The agreement also includes a 2.65 percent service salary increase for all eligible faculty unit employees in fiscal year 2017-18.

The agreement also doubles the vesting period from 5 to 10 years for retiree health benefits for new employees hired after July 1, 2017, and extends the collective bargaining agreement until June 30, 2018.

In addition, the tentative agreement bolsters the salaries for tenure-track faculty promoted into a higher rank. Under the proposed agreement, those granted promotions would receive a minimum 9 percent salary increase vs. the current minimum 7.5 percent.

“The tentative agreement enables all of us to focus our efforts on serving students and spares students the negative impacts of the threatened strikes,” stated CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “The tentative agreement is consistent with our ongoing efforts to increase faculty compensation in a fiscally responsible manner by spreading the cost impact across multiple academic years, while enabling us to fund other priorities that support student success and completion.”

University and faculty leadership have agreed to work together to advocate for additional state funding. “The CSU is the backbone of the economy and delivers half of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the state. To fulfill and expand our mission, we need a fully funded budget for 2017-18 and beyond that enables us to recruit and retain top academic talent so we can continue to provide California with high quality graduates,” White added.