The California Faculty Association (CFA) members overwhelmingly voted yes to ratify the tentative agreement between the CFA and CSU administration to increase salaries over the next four years.
According to Elizabeth Hoffman, an associate vice president of lecturers of the CFA and an English lecturer at CSULB, approximately two-thirds of the CFA members voted during the course of the vote, which lasted from May 1 to May 3. Of those who voted, an overwhelming 97 percent said yes.
Ted Kadowaki, CSULB assistant vice president of budget planning and administration, said he hasn’t heard anything about student fee increases to supplement the proposed salary increases.
According to Kadowaki, there will be no impact on the students or even the classes offered. However, he also said that each campus must cover the costs of the contract if it exceeds the allotted amount of money from the CSU board.
In CSULB’s case, if the pending CFA contract is approved, the university must come up an extra $3 million to supplement the money provided by the state, Kadowaki said. He said that as enrollment increases each year, the school takes in more money, which may help cover the difference in the budget.
The CSU Board of Trustees will vote whether to ratify the agreement on May 15 at its board meeting. Paul Browning, media relations specialist for the CSU administration, said he was confident that the board will vote in favor of the agreement.
According to the tentative agreement reached in April, faculty members will receive a 20.7 percent salary increase over a four-year period. It also included that “in the next four months, everyone will get a 7.7 percent raise – with 3 percent retroactive to July 1, 2006.”
Hoffman said that the CFA is working to prevent another fee increase for students and that the CFA is hoping the state legislature will help cover the cost.
