Deal eases Cal State strike fear
Press-Enterprise 3/26/07
The time will allow both sides to use recommendations in an independent fact-finder's report as a framework for an agreement.
The fact-finder's report found that faculty pay at the Cal State system was "lagging in the double digits behind their comparable institutions."
No date had been confirmed Sunday for the next round of labor talks, a union official said.
The announcement of the extension by Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed came following a closed-door meeting of the board of trustees' collective-bargaining committee at the Cal State headquarters in Long Beach. The meeting was called Sunday, the day before the current contract would have expired.
"I think we made a lot of progress this morning," Reed said. "I'm in an optimistic mood. I think it is certainly possible that during these 10 days we can reach an agreement. We've worked very hard to reach a fair settlement."
John Travis, president of the California Faculty Association, the union that represents professors and lecturers at the system's 23 campuses, said he saw the extension as a "positive sign." The association voted for the first time in its history to authorize a strike.
The board's committee met in closed session for about 45 minutes Sunday afternoon. Then Reed and the committee members met in open session. At the beginning of the open session, Reed called on Travis for a private meeting. When they returned, both men said they agreed to the extension and would work with the fact-finder's report to see if they could reach a settlement.
The main issue in the contract talks is salary.
The union is seeking a 17.75 percent pay raise for all faculty, spread over four years, and adjustments to compensate for pay inequities for some groups.
Professors who gathered for the meeting in Long Beach praised the newly released fact-finder's report.
"It's not everything we wanted, but we think it'll be good for the faculty and good for the CSU," said Susan Meisenhelder, past president of the California Faculty Association and an English professor at Cal State San Bernardino. "It certainly makes us feel like we're vindicated."
Reed declined to discuss details in the report. He said that he does not plan to ask state lawmakers for more money to fund pay raises for faculty, but he said there is room for a consensus between the union and the administration.
The fact-finder's report was released as both sides appeared to have reached an impasse in negotiations. The most recent offer from Cal State administrators last week was rejected by the faculty union, said Meisenhelder, also a member of the association's bargaining team.
"I think all of us are cautiously optimistic about what the chancellor had to say," she said. "I also know that we're unwavering in our resolve to make sure there's a fair settlement. It's progress, but it's still not a settlement."
A date for the next meeting between the bargaining teams for the union and the administrators had not been confirmed yet Sunday, Meisenhelder said.
Sunday's agreement extends the faculty's contract until April 6. If an agreement is not reached by then, the faculty will proceed with a series of rolling two-day walkouts designed to minimize disruption to students. The walkouts are scheduled in April and possibly into May. Officials said that the strikes would not be held on days of final exams.
The Cal State system employs more than 23,000 professors and lecturers. A systemwide strike is still a possibility, union officials said.
In the meantime, the extension calls for "quiet time" when there will be no demonstrations or concerted activities, Reed said.
Contract negotiations began in 2005 but stalled amid mounting criticism that the system's highest-paid executives have received hefty pay raises and other perks as student fees have risen.
The dispute has grown more heated in recent months.
In January, the Cal State board of trustees approved a 4 percent pay increase for presidents of all 23 campuses, as well as Reed. Earlier this month, Cal State trustees voted to raise student fees by 10 percent.
Cal State trustee Lou Monville, a member of the board's collective-bargaining committee, said that he also is optimistic.
"We want to reach an agreement with our faculty and I think this provides us an opportunity to continue to work together," Monville said. "We want to make sure our students continue to get the best education."