CSU faculty agrees to hold off strike over ongoing pay issue until April 6
SLO Tribune 3/27/07
But a Cal Poly union official said some professors and other faculty here remain ready to strike after April 6 if a deal is not reached.
Mediator Sylvia Skratek released a report Sunday with recommendations on resolving the salary dispute.
Her recommendations include a nearly 25 percent raise in salary for faculty over four years. She said faculty salaries lag behind comparable institutions by double-digit gaps.
She recommends all CSU faculty members receive a guaranteed 22.5 percent raise over four years, said John Travis, state president for the California Faculty Association.
Whether faculty members receive the additional approximately 2.5 percent would depend on other factors, including whether state discretionary money is allocated to the CSU.
An additional 10 percent raise for service step increases would be given to faculty who are eligible. Those are based on gains in experience level and promotions.
The CSU and CFA have been bargaining for about two years over salary and other issues, including parking fees for faculty. The CSU has said it offered faculty a raise of up to about 25 percent over four years.
The dispute comes over how much of the increase is guaranteed. The union contends it’s only 15 percent, while the CSU says it’s 18 percent.
CFA says it is willing to accept the mediator’s recommendations.
"I think the CFA is very happy with the outline of the mediator’s report," said Richard Saenz, Cal Poly’s union president. "But the detail is in writing up a new contract."
The CSU has agreed to use the report as a framework for further talks, according to statements from both sides.
"I think people are optimistic on both sides," said Claudia Keith, CSU’s spokeswoman. "We’re hopeful we’ll get an agreement and get back to what we should be doing — teaching students."
If a new contract can’t be worked out by April 6, the union plans to begin two-day strikes at various state campuses the following week, leaders say.
An estimated 8,100 of the about 10,000 union members statewide voted this month to authorize the strike with a 94 percent approval. Cal Poly’s faculty mirrored that approval rating, Saenz said. There are about 23,000 faculty members in the CSU system.