Faculty strike?

Press-Democrat 3/22/07

Ten more days. That's how much time faculty union officials for the California State University system are giving administration officials to agree on a new contract.

If a new deal is not approved by April, faculty will begin a series of two-day rolling strikes at the CSU system's 23 campuses - including at Sonoma State.

The potential for a strike - the first in the history of the CSU system - was confirmed Wednesday when union officials announced the results of a recent strike vote. It wasn't close. Ninety-four percent of those who voted approved of a strike.

Faculty members can't be blamed for being impatient. Negotiations between the CSU administration and the California Faculty Association - the group representing 24,000 faculty, librarians and others - have been dragging on for nearly two years. Their last salary increase was 3.5 percent in 2005.

All the same, a strike would be unfortunate given how close the two sides appear to be. Both sides seem to agree on a 25 percent increase over four years. But the faculty say it wants the increases with no strings attached, while administration officials are offering increases with contingencies.

The faculty would minimize the campus disruptions by holding two-day strikes. Nonetheless, if this impasse is not resolved, it's the students who have the most to lose.