Dear Faculty Colleagues,
On behalf of your local chapter Executive Board (E-Board) of the California Faculty Association (CFA), Los Angeles, we welcome you to the start of Fall 2024. Welcome to all the new faculty joining us this year! Congratulations to those of you who received retention, tenure, promotion, or range elevation beginning this term!
As we embark on a new academic year, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the dedication and resilience each of you has shown in these challenging times. We are facing a period of austerity measures (budget cuts and program shrinkages) imposed by the Cal State LA administration, which we outlined in a previous communication. These measures are a response to the ongoing financial challenges the CSU faces, and unfortunately, it appears that the situation will become worse as we progress through the semester.
Department chairs have reported administrators want to cut an additional 10-12% of their course offerings for Spring 2025. The budget cuts have already placed added strain on our workload, job security, and stress levels, among other things. Moreover, many of our Lecturer colleagues have lost work and access to health care.
To make matters worse, the Chancellor’s Office has begun discussing the possibility of work furloughs, which many of the long-time CSU faculty will recall from 2009-2010. Back then, CSU management proposed furloughs as a stop gap measure in lieu of layoffs. However, even though faculty agreed to take 10% work/pay cuts, management still “laid off” (non-reappointed) hundreds of Lecturers across the system. As long as the Chancellor and Board of Trustees horde billions of dollars in reserve and investment accounts, they should not be threatening faculty and staff with pay cuts or job losses.
Faculty Town Hall - Thursday, 8/22
Our union remains committed to protecting our rights and ensuring that faculty concerns are addressed. As a reminder, we will be holding a Faculty Town Hall on Austerity Measures this Thursday, August 22, from 4:00 to 5:30 PM. This is a hybrid meeting, so you will be able to join in-person or virtually. Please register here: https://calfac.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqf-yspjMiHNRfu62tij5bEE9NyY_ONBe6. For your convenience, the flyer is below - please share with your respective faculty friends and departments.
In these moments, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate solidarity, support one another, and continue to advocate for reasonable working conditions and learning conditions for our students.
In Solidarity,
CFA-LA Executive Board
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/calfac.la
Instagram: @cfaforgela
Subscribe to our chapter newsletter - The Academic Worker.
