CFA members rallied for a five percent General Salary Increase last November. Photo by Keeley Smith. 

UPDATE | After prolonged negotiations and a state-mandated mediation, the California State University faculty and the California State University school system have reached a tentative salary agreement for employees, most likely averting a planned five-day strike set to begin next week, they announced today.

The details will be released at a news conference with the media tomorrow, just two days after the California Faculty Association (CFA) and CSU announced they were close to making a deal. No information regarding the deal was immediately detailed. 

In today’s announcement, officials said the strike planned for next week will be put on hold pending a ratification vote by the union’s membership. 

City News Service contributed to this report. 

PREVIOUSLY: Cal State University, Faculty Announce “Hope” of Reaching Salary Settlement Deal, Avoiding Strike

04/07/2016 at 3:17PM | The Long Beach-based California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office and the California Faculty Association (CFA) are set to announce a settlement regarding long-disputed salary increases for CSU faculty by the end of the week, according to officials.

The CFA and CSU system released a joint statement today saying they believe “there is hope” that a deal can be reached that would cancel the planned five-day systemwide strike set to begin April 13, they said.

No details were released and both sides said they will adhere to a “blackout period” for 48 hours, which bars discussing the terms of the deal with media.

“CFA leaders and CSU officials plan to hold a joint news conference on Friday, April 8 in Sacramento, at which time they hope to announce a settlement,” the organizations said in a statement.

As previously reported, the CFA and the California State University (CSU) system Chancellor’s Office are in mediation over salary arrangements for 2015-2016, and the Chancellor’s Office has rejected a five percent General Salary Increase (GSI) and 2.65 Service Salary Increase (SSI) for eligible faculty. The faculty rejected a two percent salary increase offered by the CSU Chancellor’s Office last October. 

 

On March 28, a fact-finder hired to resolve the dispute recommended the faculty receive the five percent raise they’d demanded. Bonnie Prouty Castrey, the arbitrator hired for the mediation, said the raise should be re-allocated in other projects and recommended that the system pay step increases for 43 percent of the CSU faculty.

At the time, the CSU called the recommendations “unworkable,” while the union praised the findings.

“Freshmen and transfer students have enrolled. New faculty, advisers and academic support staff have been hired. Desperately needed renovation and maintenance projects are already in process,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy White in a statement. “Any attempt to pull back from these commitments would cause significant harm to students, faculty, staff and California. And as a fiscally responsible public entity, the CSU cannot commit to spend money it does not have.”

In February, the union said they would strike April 13, 14, 15, 18 and 19 at all 23 campuses if negotiations continue to be at a stalemate. As previously reported, the two bodies are in state-mandated mediation over salary arrangements for 2015-2016, and the Chancellor’s Office has rejected a five percent General Salary Increase (GSI) and 2.65 Service Salary Increase (SSI) for eligible faculty. The faculty rejected a two percent salary increase offered by the CSU Chancellor’s Office last October.

City News Service contributed to this report.