California Faculty Association (CFA) members of Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Maritime Academy announced their tentative strike dates of April 10 and 11. Cal State East Bay, Cal State Sacramento, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Marcos will follow, possibly striking on April 11 and 12. Additionally, it was announced through an e-mail that Cal State Long Beach will strike the week of April 23. The strike will only happen if a contract cannot be reached through negotiations by April 6.
According to Lillian Taiz, the CFA chapter president at CSULA and associate professor of history, the CFA is hopeful that negotiations will result in a reasonable contract. Taiz said continuing to plan for the strikes was a prudent action in the event the bargaining does not work out. She could not discuss the proceedings of the conversations, but she said the bargaining table was like a “roller coaster.”
“There are moments you feel very close,” Taiz said, “then have your hopes dashed.”
Claudia Keith, the CSU assistant vice chancellor, public affairs, had no formal comment to make about the possible strikes. Keith said they are trying to reach a settlement more than anything.
“It is unfortunate that the [CFA] continues to talk about strike,” Keith said.
Tom McCoy, the CFA chapter president at CSUEB and a communications professor said he was remaining “very skeptical” of the negotiations. He said he finds the reactions of the CSU administration “deeply insulting” and is angry and ready to strike.
Alice Sunshine, the CFA communications director, said they should have a better idea of how the talks are going next week.
The six campuses chosen to strike first were not selected at random. Factors of geographic location, school schedule and support for the strike contributed to the decision.
Tuuli Messer, the CFA chapter president of the CSUM, said all but one of the votes at the CSUM was in favor of the strike. Messer also said the students are in support of the CFA. Since the salaries CSUM can offer are not as high as other comparable universities, hiring new teachers has become a problem. So as enrollment grows, so do class sizes.
Students at other campuses are also in support of the CFA strikes. CSUSM students will be holding a rally April 3, followed by CSUS students who will rally April 4.
Many of the campuses are expecting support of the whole faculty. Taiz said she expects no faculty members to cross the picket line. She plans to have 200 faculty members for each shift (of three shifts) during the strike.
In the event the negotiations fail and the first week of striking is unsuccessful, other campuses will follow with two-day strikes. The next campuses to possibly strike and their tentative strike dates will be announced sometime next week.
