Profs may strike at Sacramento State

Sacramento Bee 2/22/07

By Eric Stern

Professors at California State University, Sacramento, will join faculty members at CSU campuses from across the state next month in a vote to strike if contract talks collapse with the administration.

The vote would not immediately trigger a strike, but it authorizes the union leadership to implement a walkout.

John Travis, a Humboldt State professor who heads the 23,000-member California Faculty Association, said the strike would occur one campus at a time for a day or two, to minimize the impact on students, Travis said.

"We have said all along that we don't want to strike, but we will strike if that's what it takes," Travis said.

CSU professors earn, on average, $71,000, according to the California Postsecondary Education Commission. They're seeking larger pay raises over the next few years than what the administration has offered.

Claudia Keith, a spokeswoman for the CSU system, said the negotiation process is continuing.

"Our first and foremost concern is for the students, making sure they are able to get to their classes, that their education is not disrupted and that those who are trying to graduate are not held up in any way" by a strike, she said.