Potential CSU strike delayed
North County Times 3/26/07
Both sides said they agreed Sunday to extend their old labor contract 10 days so that they could discuss a more generous long-term contract that the administration proposed to the union Sunday morning.
The new administration proposal, which Chancellor Charlie Reed characterized as "substantial movement from our offer of Nov. 20," was prompted by a mediator's report released Sunday that agreed with many of the faculty's arguments.
"We got recognition in the report that our faculty salaries are far behind those of our peers in other states," said John Travis, president of the faculty labor union. "And the mediator proposed solutions that are going to be a good model for an agreement."
The mediator's report is called a "fact-finding" document. It was released Sunday morning at California State University headquarters in Long Beach.
Reed and Travis said they would not discuss the specifics of the administration's latest offer during the next 10 days of negotiating. But both men said they were optimistic a new four-year contract can be reached before any strikes take place.
"I'm optimistic a settlement can be reached because we have a good framework from the fact-finding," Reed said at a press conference after the 10-day extension was announced. "We have mutually agreed to seek a settlement within that framework."
Robert Achtenberg, chairman of the 23-campus university system's board of trustees, agreed with Reed.
"We are hopeful that at the end of this process we will have a finalized agreement so that we can move forward with getting our faculty their salary increases," said Achtenberg.
Travis said union leaders are also optimistic.
"Their offer has given us enough reason to go ahead and give it another try," Travis said in a phone interview from Long Beach. "We're cautiously optimistic, with the stress being on 'cautiously.'"
That optimism extended south Sunday afternoon into San Marcos, where leaders of the campus faculty union and student government said Sunday's developments had made them upbeat.
"If it's true that they are likely to reach a settlement, students will be pleased by their decision and relieved that there will be no strike," said Roy Lee, president of the student government on the San Marcos campus. "I think it shows that the union and the administration are doing their best to put students first."
Janet Powell, president of the San Marcos campus chapter of the statewide faculty labor union, said Sunday's developments have been long awaited.
"This is great news, because it makes a strike look less likely," said Powell. "I'm a little bit sad the administration didn't do this a long time ago, but I'm glad things are looking better."
But Powell said she was telling professors Sunday afternoon to remain prepared for the two-day rolling walkouts that union members authorized in a statewide vote earlier this month.
Results of that vote were announced Wednesday, and Powell said she spent Saturday in Los Angeles with labor leaders from other campuses finalizing details of strike plans.
Statewide union leaders have given no specific dates for the rolling walkouts, but estimated that the statewide job actions would begin sometime in April and probably extend into early May. Sunday's 10-day contract extension means they could not begin until April 6 at the earliest.
The walkouts would begin with professors not reporting to work at a handful of campuses on two consecutive school days. When those professors return to work, their colleagues at another handful of campuses would go on two-day strikes.
Union leaders have said the walkouts will eventually occur at each of the 23 campuses, unless a new contract is agreed on.
Although Chancellor Reed said the latest administration contract offer is substantially more generous, he balked at union contentions that the fact-finding document was a vindication of the union's bargaining position.
"My observation was that the fact-finder tried to be fair to both sides, and split the difference," Reed said.
Reed also said that larger raises for faculty will not require any more tuition increases than the 10-percent-per-year hikes that trustees have approved through 2010.
Travis, president of the statewide labor union, said professors should remain ready despite Sunday's good news.
"I don't want to create too much hope for people who are anxious about this," said Travis.