Faculty at CSU agrees to strike
Ventura Star 3/22/07
The vote, announced Wednesday morning, calls for rolling two-day walkouts on all 23 campuses in the CSU system, including Channel Islands.
Channel Islands faculty members will support the strike, if it happens, though they are the highest paid in the CSU system, said John Yudelson, vice president for lecturers, CSUCI chapter of the California Faculty Association.
"This vote isn't just about more money," Yudelson said. "This vote is about the direction CSU is heading in and the dissatisfaction the faculty feel. We want to make sure a quality education is accessible to every Californian."
Average annual salary for new tenure-track faculty at Channel Islands was $76,252 in 2005, the last year for which figures are available. For the CSU system, it's $61,087.
Yudelson did not know how the Channel Islands faculty voted, and the California Faculty Association, which authorized the strike, is not providing a breakdown of votes by campus.
However, Yudelson did say that his campus has about 118 union members, and about 104 voted. His own informal exit poll suggests that most of those who voted supported the strike, he said.
Among the total CFA membership, 94 percent voted to authorize a strike. Roughly 81 percent voted.
Strike would be system's first
There are about 23,000 faculty members in the CSU system. Of that number, 11,000 were eligible to vote.
The union would rather reach a settlement than go on strike, said John Travis, president of the CFA.
However, he is not optimistic that the administration will return to the table because the two sides have been negotiating for nearly two years.
"This would be the first strike ever in the system, ever," Travis said. "That should mean something to them. We're sending a clear, unmistakable message that we mean business."
CSU faculty members, who say they are paid less than their colleagues at similar campuses, are asking for a 25.7 percent raise.
Administrators said that they have offered a 25 percent increase over the next three years and that they are trying to reach an agreement.
"We hope that today's announcement does not signal a predetermined outcome on behalf of the faculty union," said Chancellor Charles B. Reed in a prepared statement. "That would be a disservice to faculty and students alike."
Union organizers say that most faculty would receive something closer to a 15 percent raise and that the proposal includes too many contingencies.
The faculty's existing contract expired in 2005 and has been extended several times. The most recent extension runs out Monday.
If an agreement is not reached by then, the faculty legally can strike.
If members do, they will try to limit the impact on students, union leaders said Tuesday. Because the strikes would be limited to two days on each campus, they expect many students would miss only one day of each class, given that most don't meet every day.
No dates are scheduled
Organizers said they have not set a date for the strikes to start, and they intend to surprise the administration.
Students, they said, would receive adequate notice, but they did not specify what that would be.
Diane Filippini, a senior at Channel Islands, sympathizes with the faculty's position, especially because she hopes to become a teacher herself.
She also said she believes her professors would make sure students didn't suffer because of the walkout.
"Some of my teachers have made comments in class about not making much," Filippini said. "I see where they're coming from, and it wouldn't bother me personally. They'd make sure we're prepared with assignments. I'd back them."
But Junior Cris Powell is worried that a strike could hurt the relationship between faculty and students at Channel Islands.
"I do understand there's a need for groups to make sure they're getting paid fairly," he said.
Still, "We really do cherish the faculty/student interaction. I would be disappointed if those relationships are harmed in any way."
Professor concerned
Spanish professor Terry Ballman, who does not plan to walk out, also worries about how a strike would affect relationships.
Ballman said she supports her colleagues at other campuses who may not enjoy the same working conditions she does. But she also is loyal to her local campus and its broader community.
"President (Richard) Rush and many of us have worked hard to establish a relationship with this community," Ballman said. "I worry that a strike could damage that relationship."