First-Ever Strike Vote Comes for CSU Faculty
KABC-7, 3/5/07
California Faculty Association instructors and administrators have come to terms on almost all non-economic issues but remain at loggerheads on virtually all the financial aspects of a new four-year contract.
The main sticking points are across-the-board pay increases each year, money to help faculty members recover from a wage freeze that was imposed during the state's 2002 budget crisis, and creating an equity pay fund to address what the union calls the "experience penalty." That situation involves new faculty members earning more at the outset than faculty members with several years of experience are already being paid.
The union, which represents instructors, coaches, counselors and librarians, contends that CSO faculty pay is about 18 percent below that of comparable institutions nationally.
An impasse was declared in September, and mediations sessions were conducted in November and December. Fact-finding sessions involving CSU and faculty representatives were conducted in January and February.
The CFA wants a 4 percent raise for this year, retroactive to July 2006, plus a 2.65 percent increase for all faculty members now eligible for step raises.
Step increases are awarded annually within the top three academic ranks - - assistant professor, associate professor and professor. Each rank has eight steps, and to qualify for the raise, a faculty member must receive a satisfactory annual performance review.
After attaining the eighth step, assistant professors and associate professors are up for promotion to the next rank. After reaching the final step at the professor level, the faculty member only receives an annual cost of living raise.
The union also asked for a $5 million equity pay pool to address what it calls "salary inversion" -- the effect of new hires being brought in at starting salaries substantially higher than what is being paid to faculty with several years' experience in the CSU system.
The administration offered a 4 percent raise and no step increase, or a 3 percent general pay raise plus the 2.65 percent step increases. The equity pay pool wasn't part of the CSU offer.
Similar issues are part of the impasse over the second, third and fourth years of the contract. In addition, the CFA proposal calls for spending $10 million a year -- $5 million for salary inversion, and $5 million to help with salary compression for faculty members at the top of the scale in their ranks.
The administration's offer has no money in the final three years of the contract for salary inversion or compression, but offers a $1 million-per-year pool for discretionary merit increases.
In addition, there's a disagreement between the two sides over parking fees. The administration wants to raise faculty parking fees to match what students now pay. The CFA is asking that the CSU system create a system-wide parking authority because of variances between parking-fee increases among the campuses.
Voting will be conducted through Friday at 16 of the 23 affected campuses: Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Channel Islands, Cal State Chico, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Humboldt State, Cal State Los Angeles, California Maritime Academy, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Sacramento, Cal State San Bernardino, San Diego State, Cal State San Marcos, Sonoma State, and Cal State Stanislaus.
A week of voting will begin March 12 at the remaining seven universities: Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Northridge, San Francisco State, San Jose State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The League of Women Voters will tally the votes March 19-20, with results to be announced March 21.