A lonely university professor is leaving for home. His black and brown-checkered coat, worn at the elbows and made of a material last seen in the 1970s, is thrown over his right shoulder as he opens the door to his dilapidated teacher-mobile. The car is a mess. It has no air conditioning, no radio, and the windshield wipers are worn down to the nub. His expression is a gloomy one. There is a reason for this: He has no money to fix it.
Due to the growing population in Southern California, the cost of living is up and unfortunately, the salary for the average teacher is not.
This week’s Ted on the Street will attempt to audit the possibility of a faculty strike on campus and determine why it might be necessary for teachers to leave work early.
The Skinny
Due to disagreements with the California State University (CSU) administration, the California Faculty Association (CFA) has been threatening to strike if demands for an increase in teachers’ salaries are not met. But on March 25, both parties agreed to a 10-day contract extension that will allow for a fact-finder’s report to be made and for more talks to continue. The extension will end on April 6.
Lydia Sondhi, CFA president of the Cal State Long Beach chapter, said that although the CFA does not want to strike, it will if it has to.
“We continue to have hope that these talks will find a resolution,” Sondhi said. “We [can’t] not prepare for a strike just because of the contract extension.”
Statewide officer of the CFA and CSULB English lecturer Elizabeth Hoffman is a member of the 16-member bargaining team that is in talks with the CSU administration. The CFA is cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the negotiations, according to Hoffman.
“We want to be optimistic,” Hoffman said. “I’ve taught here for 25 years and we believe that the contract we want supports not just the faculty, but the university and students as well.”
Hoffman said that the goal of the negotiations is to allow the university to get and retain enough permanent faculty so that students get what they need. Due to rising student fees, Hoffman said that it’s even more important that negotiations succeed.
“It’s not about the money,” Hoffman said. “If faculty cared about money they wouldn’t be teachers. It wasn’t just the weather that made California great – it was the CSUs.”
The Street
Professors and students gave their opinion on the impending strikes and what they hope the outcome will be.
“If I were a member of the CFA, I would be for the strike,” said Khosrow Moshirvaziri, professor of information systems in the College of Business Administration. “We’re really underpaid and have not received a significant raise in a long time. I think education is something sacred and people have no respect for this state and for higher education.”
Moshirvaziri said he was a member of the CFA at one point but had to cancel due to not being able to afford union fees, as well as his own household utilities, such as cable television and his cell phone. His own financial difficulties were his only reason for dropping out of the CFA, he said.
“I am in favor of the demands but not striking,” said part-time economics lecturer Philip Trevezas. “I agree that we don’t get paid enough. I understand and I support the CFA, but not at the expense of the students.”
Cheryl Goldstein, assistant professor of comparative world literature, said a strike is justified due to the high cost of living in California.
“It’s difficult to own a home in California,” Goldstein said. “The amount of money we make isn’t enough compared to the cost of living in the state.”
One student agreed, though only partially. “I think it’s good that they’re at least trying to get what they want,” said freshman studio art major Janelle Knepper. “I just think that’s too big of a deal. They should be in class.”
Dustin Morely, a mechanical engineering major, said in some ways the strike was justified.
“It’s like any other workplace that goes on strike. Other companies do the same kind of thing and it works for them.”
Ted Concludes
It’s a tragic state of affairs when two groups quarrel over money. It’s even more tragic when those who might benefit have to do so at the expense of students, who, incidentally, are paying more every school year.
The verdict? Teachers on strike: If they have to miss a few classes to make a point, so be it. Teachers deserve to get paid for their hard work and dedication, especially those who go above and beyond.
We as students pay a lot to go to school. Some of us drive for an hour and some walk from right across the street, but no student deserves to have his or her college journey messed with by overworked and underpaid teachers in need of a raise.
Students are hoping that if faculty must miss class, it’ll end in their benefit.
