Faculty upset over stalled contract talks

SLO Tribune 1/17/07

By Cynthia Neff

A few dozen Cal Poly faculty members made public their frustration with stalled contract negotiations in an informational picket Tuesday on campus.

Local members of the 23,000-member California Faculty Association hope to raise awareness of the negotiations with the California State University Chancellor’s Office, which have continued for more than 18 months with no resolution.

A union official said about 50 faculty members came to the picket in front of the administration building. By lunchtime, the number had dwindled to about 15.

Their main issue is salary: The Chancellor’s Office said it has offered the faculty nearly a 25 percent increase over a four-year contract.

But union officials dispute that figure, arguing that only about a 15 percent increase over four years is guaranteed and that additional raises are contingent upon state funding that might not be approved.