CFA Strike Authorization Vote is next week
Voting begins Saturday, October 21st at 9 AM
Dear Colleagues,
I hope this email finds you well. CFA is at a critical juncture in our fight for a fair contract. As you know, we’ve been negotiating with CSU management since May 2023, and they continue to reject our most important bargaining proposals. While management’s unwillingness to agree to a 12% GSI is a major motivation why we’re getting strike ready, it definitely isn’t the only one. Of the 15 proposals we have made during bargaining, management offered far less than what we asked for on five proposals and rejected nine others without providing any counter offers. These include:
Establishing course capacity limits that benefit faculty and students (no counter);
Improving Counselor-to-Student ratios (1 Counselor to every 1,500 students, as recommended by the International Accreditation of Counseling Services) (no counter)
Raising the salary floor and provide much needed equity for Lecturers at ranks A & B (no counter);
Providing parental Leave for one full semester (no counter); and
Ensuring campus safety and wellbeing for all (no counter), among others.
Right now, we are in the fact-finding stage of bargaining, which is the final step of the statutory process before we can take any collective job action. As part of this last step, the Bargaining Team believes it is necessary to schedule a Strike Authorization Vote, which takes place from this Saturday, October 21 at 9 AM to Friday, October 27 at 5 PM.
Voting “YES” for strike authorization gives our union leadership the power to call a strike if CSU management fails to meet our demands. However, the vote does not automatically mean that we will go on strike. Historically, strike authorization votes have been a critical step in winning key contract improvements and fair compensation for thousands of academic workers around the country. Many times, unions have held strike votes that averted a strike because management witnessed the solidarity of workers and decided to make a deal. This is why we are urging all members to vote YES in order to send management a strong message that we’re strike ready!
I understand that some faculty members may have concerns about the idea of a strike. Therefore, below I will provide more details about strikes and how CFA and other academic workers have used them to win their contract campaigns. According to the CFA Strike Authorization FAQs, a strike “means that we refrain from teaching and any other work we would normally do for the CSU on the day(s) of the strike, and we would organize picket lines and rallies on the campus(es). Educators on strike do not grade, answer work emails, or perform other faculty work. There are various ways to go on strike – systemwide, one campus at a time, or other options – and if it comes to that, CFA leaders and actively participating members will explore and decide the best way to do it.”
Over the last 12 years, CFA has won our best contracts when we have either gone on strike or organized diligently for one. In 2011, CFA members held a one-day rolling strike where faculty, students, and community allies shut down two campuses – East Bay and Dominguez Hills – forcing management to quickly settle. Then, in 2016, faculty were prepared to shut down the entire CSU system for five days when management agreed to our demands at the last possible minute, narrowly averting a strike.
The goal of our contract campaign is to win fair contracts, and strikes are the strongest tool we have had to do so. We keep the university working, and management has an obligation to bargain in good faith with our collective bargaining unit, Unit 3 Faculty.
Just this year, we’ve witnessed several other successful strikes that have resulted in significant gains for educators in LA and nationally:
In January 2023, thousands of faculty at Rutgers University went on a 5-day strike for a fair contract. Through their collective action, they secured a 14% raise for tenure-line faculty and up to a 40% raise for adjunct faculty members. These significant gains highlight the power of solidarity and demonstrate that strikes can significantly improve working conditions and compensation.
That same month, faculty members at the University of Illinois at Chicago engaged in a 4-day strike. It resulted in a 15% raise over the life of the contract and increases to the minimum salary for the lowest-paid faculty by $9,000 and tenure track faculty by $6,500. The successful outcome addressed salary concerns and ensured fair compensation for all faculty members, reflecting the importance of pay equity.
Finally, in March 2023, the Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU 99) launched a 3-day strike in coordination with the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) who joined in solidarity via a sympathy strike. This substantially improved working conditions, benefits, and pay. Including living wages, healthcare benefits via full time conversions for Local 99’s LAUSD workers. UTLA secured an impressive 27% raise over three years, and SEIU 99 achieved a 30% increase for their members.
These recent strike victories should serve as greater inspiration for our potential strike. They demonstrate that collective action among faculty can lead to tangible and positive outcomes; thus, ensuring that our current demand for a fair contract is both justified and in line with the actions of other academic and education workers.
I have also heard from some faculty who wonder how CSUEU (staff union) and UAW 4123 (TAs & GAs) reaching tentative agreements with CSU management impacts our campaign. We’re happy for both unions to have reached settlements they believe will improve the lives of their members and both achieved the goals they have been organizing towards - sick leave for TA’s and GA’s, and step increases for staff. CFA, the Teamsters, and APC remain committed to our contract fights because we haven’t received anything near what our members have demanded. In fact, the Teamsters recently held their own Strike Authorization Vote last week to give their statewide leadership the power to call a strike in the near future. Thus, we will continue to build solidarity with the members of the Cal State LA Labor Council, especially those who are still fighting for fair contracts - and we know CSUEU and UAQ 4123 will continue to support our fights until we win.
To discuss these issues further, we’re calling a General Membership Town Hall on the Strike Authorization Vote and strike planning for next Wednesday, October 25, from 4:00-5:30 PM, in the Library Community Room and hybrid option (see the flyer below). I highly encourage all CFA members to attend so we can discuss the importance of the Strike Authorization Vote and begin planning for what a strike might look like at Cal State LA. Register for the town hall here: https://forms.office.com/r/Tc5eEbKVT9.
Voting will be accessible by electronic ballot only. CFA-LA contract action team leads and activists will be tabling every day next week (schedule below). Once you cast your vote, come to our table to grab your Strike Ready union t-shirt. Only CFA members are eligible to vote. If you are not yet a CFA member, it’s not too late to join: https://www.calfac.org/join-CFA/.
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to email me. I truly value your input and want to ensure that all CFA members are well-informed and able to participate in the upcoming Strike Authorization Vote. I appreciate your attention and consideration.
In Union,
Anthony Ratcliff
CFA-LA Chapter President
