Tag Archives: California State U

California State University reaches contract agreement with faculty

Mercury News: California State University reaches contract agreement with faculty

LOS ANGELES — California State University has reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract with its faculty that largely preserves current contract terms and calls for no salary raises, the university and faculty union said Tuesday.
“It’s a fair agreement in the context of hard times,” said Lillian Taiz, who heads the California Faculty Association, which represents 23,000 professors, lecturers and other professional employees. “We are disappointed we were not able to get a raise, but that wasn’t in the cards. It was a tough pill to swallow, I won’t kid you.”

The university agreed to possibly reopen salary talks for 2012-13 and 2013-14. Benefits were maintained at the current level.
Both sides said the agreement will allow them to put to rest more than two years of contentious negotiations and work together to push for more revenue for the 23-campus system that has seen $750 million in state funding cuts over the past four years.
The system is one of the largest public university systems in the nation with 400,000 students.

Faculty members have not had a raise for the past five years after the university failed to fulfill salary commitments in the last contract. Taiz said that issue has been set aside in the interest of collaborating with the university to push for more state funding.

California Faculty Association and CSU make tentative contract agreement

California Faculty Association and CSU make tentative contract agreement

After two years of negotiations, the California Faculty Association and the CSU have reached a tentative agreement on the faculty contract today.

The contract will run through June 30, 2014 and will be effective when both parties ratify the agreement.

The agreement comes after the CFA announced that 95 percent of faculty across all 23 CSU campuses were in favor of a strike in the fall if their demands regarding workload, compensation and academic freedom were not met.

According to CSU spokesperson, Stephanie Thara, the tentative agreement will open up the possibility to talk about salary increases for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.

“Campus presidents will also have the discretion to decide how campus funds are used in terms of salary inversion or salary issues,” Thara said.

Another provision stated that there will be changes to the way three-year temporary faculty members are evaluated and appointed.

In a statement released today, the CFA Bargaining Team said that, “While the CSU administration should be held accountable for its spending priorities, this will be a time to work together with management to show the public why our public university system needs resources to continue to function at a high level.”

A decision will be reached at the September 18-19 CSU Board of Trustees meeting.

Cal State faculty holds vote to authorize strike

Cal State faculty holds vote to authorize strike

LOS ANGELES—Some 24,000 California State University employees are beginning a two-weeklong vote on whether to authorize their union to declare a strike after 22 months of negotiations failed to yield a new contract.

Members of the California Faculty Association, which represents professors, librarians, coaches and counselors across the system’s 23 campuses, start voting Monday and have until April 27 to say whether they authorize the union’s board of directors to call a two-day strike at an unspecified date.

CSU Faculty Union Calls Strike Vote After Contract Talks Stall

CSU Faculty Union Calls Strike Vote After Contract Talks Stall

Union members in the 23-campus California State University system have scheduled a strike vote after 18 months of contract bargaining talks.
The Board of Directors of the California Faculty Association recently authorized an April vote to approve or reject a strike if no agreement is reached. The CFA represents 24,000 employees including coaches, counselors, librarians and professors in one of the state’s highest profile workforces.
The April CFA strike vote nears amid the wider backdrop of public protests against budget cuts affecting students from kindergarteners to post-graduate researchers. Protests are under way throughout the United States, and a group began marching on Thursday from the Bay Area to Sacramento under the Occupy Education banner. A labor-backed rally is planned Monday in Sacramento.

Protesters occupy building on Sacramento campus

San Diego Union-Tribune: Protesters occupy building on Sacramento campus

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 100 faculty members, students and staff have occupied a building at California State University, Sacramento as part of a statewide mobilization against pending cuts to higher education.

An early afternoon rally on Wednesday began with more than 600 protesters, who blamed CSU Chancellor Charles Reed for not doing enough to oppose cuts California lawmakers are using to close the state’s $26.6 billion budget deficit.

Gov. Jerry Brown already signed into law a $1 billion reduction to higher education, but that number could grow if taxes are not increased, as the Democratic governor wants.

The protestors marched from the school’s library quad to an administrative building to present a set of petitions. Law enforcement officials were inside, but it is unclear whether university administrators were prepared for the occupation.

Arrests End Building Takeover at San Francisco State

San Francisco Chronicle: Police break up building takeover at S.F. State

(12-10) 13:28 PST SAN FRANCISCO — Police arrested 25 protesters early Thursday at San Francisco State University, a day after students barricaded themselves inside the business school to protest fee hikes and budget cuts at California’s public universities.

Campus police in riot gear, joined by officers from throughout the California State University police system and San Francisco police, entered the business administration building at 3:15 a.m., said university spokeswoman Ellen Griffin.

Some of the officers broke windows to get inside because protesters had blocked doors, authorities said.

Police arrested 12 protesters inside the building on suspicion of trespassing, a misdemeanor, Griffin said. There may have been more people who slipped away, she said.

Professors union declaration: State university system caters to corporations

Contra Costa Times: Professors union declaration: State university system caters to corporations

SACRAMENTO — Leaders of a statewide professors union issued a statement of position, or white paper, Tuesday claiming the California State University is abandoning its mission of providing a good liberal-arts education to qualified students seeking one.

Instead, they said, CSU administrators seem to be re-making the university as a profit-seeking institution that stresses preparing students not primarily for good citizenship, but mainly to meet the needs of corporation

Schwarzenegger Vetoes Limits on Administrators’ Pay

Inside Higher Ed: Schwarzenegger Vetoes Limits on Administrators’ Pay

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday vetoed a bill that would have barred most salary increases and bonuses for executives at the University of California and California State University systems in bad budget years, such as this one. In his veto message, the governor criticized the measure as too broad and intrusive. “A blanket prohibition limiting the flexibility for the UC and CSU to compete, both nationally and internationally, in attracting and retaining high level personnel does a disservice to those students seeking the kind of quality education that our higher education segments offer. The regents and the trustees should be prudent in managing their systems, given the difficult fiscal crisis we face as a state, but it is unnecessary for the state to micromanage their operations.” The veto drew a sharp response from Sen. Leland Yee, sponsor of the bill and a leading legislative voice for closer oversight of the university systems. Yee noted that well compensated executives have continued to receive bonuses and raises even as the university systems face unprecedented budget cuts. “It is deeply disappointing that the governor wants to ensure top executives live high on the hog while students suffer,” Yee said. “The governor’s veto is a slap in the face to all UC and CSU students and the system’s low wage workers. His veto protects the UC and CSU administration’s egregious executive

University Administrators Fight to Line Their Own Pockets

California Chronicle: University Administrators Fight to Line Their Own Pockets

SACRAMENTO – University of California and California State University administrators have killed a bill that would have limited executive pay raises during bad budget years.

Despite the fact that the Senate Appropriations Committee found no costs to the bill and the Assembly Appropriations Committee´s analysis estimated a significant cost-savings, the Assembly Appropriations Committee today held the bill on their suspense file without allowing a vote. Normally, the suspense file is used to kill bills that have a significant cost to the state.

California students unite against fee hikes, layoffs

Daily 49er: Students unite against fee hikes, layoffs
CSU faculty and students formed a rally Tuesday to give ‘shame’ to the CSU board of trustees

Protesters shouted “Shame on you!” and other slogans at trustees as they entered the chancellor’s office in Long Beach on Tuesday.

Ainsley Sanchez wiped the sweat off her forehead and punched her fists in the air as she marched and chanted alongside students, faculty members and parents who showed up Tuesday to protest outside California State University Chancellor Charles Reed’s office.

Cal State Faculty Accepts Furloughs

The New York Times: Union Accepts Furloughs at California Universities

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A union that represents 22,000 faculty members at California State University has agreed to two furlough days a month to help close a huge budget deficit at the 23-campus system, officials said Friday.
Inside Higher Ed: Cal State Faculty Accepts Furloughs

Faced with no good options, a union representing California State University faculty members decided to accept a furlough plan that will reduce compensation by about 10 percent, union leaders announced Friday. The California Faculty Association also questioned Chancellor Charles B. Reed’s leadership, voting “no confidence” in him by a margin of 80 percent. The union represents tenure-track faculty as well as lecturers, who would be most likely to lose jobs if furloughs hadn’t been approved. While the vote indicates some tenured and tenure track faculty essentially voted to preserve other people’s jobs, the measure passed by a significant but not overwhelming margin of 54 percent. The union had criticized Reed for not guaranteeing the furloughs would save jobs, although Reed told Inside Higher Ed he estimated 6,000 positions would be saved if the 23,000 union-represented faculty and other employees took furloughs. The association is affiliated with the National Education Association and the American Association of University Professors, as well as Service Employees International Union.

Cal State Faculty Approves Furlough but Votes No Confidence in Chancellor

The Chronicle News Blog: Cal State Faculty Approves Furlough but Votes No Confidence in Chancellor

The main faculty union at California State University today narrowly approved an unpaid furlough of two days per month, avoiding a new round of layoffs of thousands of part-time faculty members and cementing the system’s plan to close a $584-million budget deficit.

Cal State chancellor says layoffs likely even with furloughs

KPCC: Cal State chancellor says layoffs likely even with furloughs

California State University’s chancellor said today he anticipates layoffs next year even if its largest union agrees to furloughs. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: During a teleconference, Cal State chancellor Charles Reed said his plan for two furlough days a month would apply to almost all employees and would erase nearly half of Cal State’s $584 million deficit.

Charles Reed: Furloughs save jobs. Furloughs keep people’s health insurance and retirement benefits in place.

Chancellor says CSU community will have to share the budget burden

The Tribune News: Chancellor says CSU community will have to share the budget burden

Those employed and studying at Cal Poly and the California State University system’s 22 other campuses will have to share the pain of budget shortfalls, chancellor Charles Reed said Thursday.

California: CSU fund management questioned

Times-Herald: CSU fund management questioned

Concerned that California State University foundations may be mismanaged, a state faculty union has urged Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch an investigation.

“The 23,000 members of the California Faculty Association have serious concerns about whether or not the CSU’s various foundations are conforming to proper fiduciary responsibility under state and federal law,” union president Lillian Taiz wrote in a letter this week to Brown.

Furloughs expected at California State University system

Sacramento Bee: Furloughs expected at California State University system

The furlough has become an unfortunate reality for many Sacramento area residents. More than 200,000 state workers are now facing a third monthly furlough day. About 18,000 UC Davis employees will probably have to take furloughs starting in August.