Cal State Long Beach and the rest of the system’s 22 campuses will remain open on Monday, the university said, but a union representing faculty members plan to strike and cancel classes possibly through Jan. 26.
Cal State Universities plan to remain open for any classes that aren’t canceled and student services while union strikes across all 23 campuses next week, according to Christina Checel, CSU associate vice chancellor of labor and employee relations.
The union representing faculty confirmed plans for the work stoppage on Monday despite a tentative three-year contract agreement between the CSU and the union representing skilled trade workers, which has called off plans to strike.
The California Faculty Association’s contract with the university ends this summer, and the union is demanding a 12% salary increase along with better working conditions.
At Cal State Long Beach, CFA will strike beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, with many professors canceling class the first day of the spring semester.
A similar strike was averted Friday when a deal was reached with Teamsters 2010, which represents skilled trade workers at 22 of the 23 campuses. That deal must be ratified by the union membership and will be brought to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval at its March meeting.
On Friday, CSU said it was prepared to return to the bargaining table to “bargain in good faith” and offer a 15% salary increase over three years for faculty. But the strike will proceed as planned for faculty, according to union members.
This comes after the university concluded negotiations and offered faculty a 5% raise on Jan. 9, two days into a week originally dedicated to meeting with CFA. The looming strikes also come amid an annual 6% tuition hike over 5 years.
All campuses have “contingency plans” to “ensure consistent operations,” Christina Checel, CSU associate vice chancellor of labor and employee relations, said at a news conference Friday. She did not say what those plans were.
Checel said the work stoppage will not interfere with students being able to complete courses and graduate on time.
CSU has also encouraged students at each campus to report faculty members who have canceled classes and services in an online form.
CSULB students received an email on Tuesday, Jan. 16 with the form. The first time the form was sent out was in December to students from campuses that had strikes, according to Jennifer Chavez, CSULB student and member of Students for Quality Education.
“Seeing the university attempt to weaponize students against their faculty reflects how low they’re willing to go,” said Meghan O’Donnell, CFA associate vice president of lecturers. “They talk big about keeping campuses open, but their actions suggest they’re terrified of the impending shutdown.”
In an effort to rally behind their professors, some students took to social media this week, sharing plans to “spam” those forms with incorrect or unrelated information in an attempt to disrupt the university’s data collection.
“We’re trying to encourage all students not to cross the picket line,” said Chavez, although she said she knew some peers planning on attending class come Monday.
Checel said the information from the surveys will be used to gauge the impact of the strikes and how they affect students. She did not mention how reported faculty would be affected.
Leora Freedman, CSU vice chancellor for human resources, said that it was union members’ right to strike and withhold work.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a strike-averting tentative deal that was reached with Teamsers 2010 on Friday.
City News Service contributed to this report.