November 27, 2023
Dear faculty,
As we get closer to the impending strike dates, it is important to maintain solidarity with each other since management and administration will do their best to cause confusion and doubt. We already see this happening on other campuses - including Cal Poly Pomona, where management is attempting to pit students against faculty, and cause fear for faculty - especially our contingent faculty on semester and year contracts.
This week is Red Week and our chapter will have a number of opportunities for you to ask questions, grab a shirt, or sign-up for a picket shift (more details below). If you haven’t already done so, make sure to sign-up for a strike shift next week: CFA Los Angeles Strike Sign-Up (google.com). In order to have a successful strike, we need to have big numbers on the picket line for at least 1 picket shift - for those who voted for strike authorization, now is the time to show up and show out.
It is our protected right to strike, and even CSU administration has agreed to this right in our collective bargaining agreement. Additionally, our strike is protected by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), and the Higher Education Employee-Employer Relations Act (HEERA). For more details about what it means to strike, visit our last communication: Strikes: What faculty can & can't do - by CFA-Los Angeles (substack.com).
As an update, the factfinder’s report was finalized on 11/21/2023, exhausting the entirety of the statutory process - bargaining, impasse, mediation, and factfinding. It is disappointing to find that management’s negotiators have not put in real efforts towards meeting our proposals. It is clear the CSU can afford to fund our student-centered proposals to increase mental health counselors, implement smaller classrooms, and so on. If you haven’t seen the financial report by forensic accountant, Howard Bunsis, you can watch it here, or review slides here.
At this time, we are calling on the Chancellor for a fair faculty contract. This petition is open to students, parents, community members, staff and faculty colleagues. Please make sure to sign and share: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/faculty-strike.
Red Week
Monday
12-4 PM: Hall walking (various buildings)
Tuesday
12 PM: Solidarity Rally with Students Against Tuition Walk Out at the Golden Eagle Statue
Wednesday
12-2 PM: Faculty Lunch Appreciation @ the Golden Eagle Statue. RSVP: cfa_la@calfac.org.
2-3 PM: Student Strike Teach-In
2-5 PM: Tabling at King Hall
Thursday
9 AM: Press Conference, USU - street side
10-2 PM: Tabling at La Kretz
6 PM: Strike Prep Meeting (dinner provided), KH B2005; RSVP: cfa_la@calfac.org
Saturday
10-2 PM: Strike Prep Party (lunch provided); RSVP: cfa_la@calfac.org at The LA County Federation of Labor 2130 James M Wood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006.
