Cal State faculty back contract despite union dissent

After eight months and multiple faculty walk-outs, the latest, contentious round of contract negotiations between the California State University system and its faculty union is nearing a close.

The California Faculty Association announced Monday that its members ratified the union's tentative agreement with the CSU system by a 76% yes vote, overcoming vocal dissent from faculty who said the proposal fell short of union demands. The union did not say how many of its 29,000 members voted.

Lisa Kawamura, a lecturer, union chapter president at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and union board member, said Monday that she was proud of the deal.

"Did we get everything we wanted? No," she said. "But we got a lot. We've made huge gains in some areas we've never seen movement before."

The tentative agreement would give a 5% salary increase, retroactive to July, to more than 56,000 faculty across the 23-campus system along. They will receive another 5% raise this summer if the state does not reduce CSU funding. Faculty would also get an increase parental leave from six to 10 weeks and a higher salary floor for the lowest-paid members.

CSU trustees still need to ratify the agreement, which would run through July 2025. The board is next scheduled to meet from March 24-27. In an email to members on Monday, union leaders said they asked CSU management to call a special board meeting to approve the terms more quickly.

CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia did not immediately indicate whether she would work to have the trustee vote moved up. In a statement Monday afternoon, the chancellor's office said it was "pleased" with the vote and looks forward to trustees ratifying the agreement in March.

Union leaders said in their email to faculty that the union still has "battles ahead" against the CSU system's "austerity" policies, "administrative bloat," anti-Black racism, unaffordable tuition and the "corporatization of higher education."

"We can only win the CSU we deserve through our efforts together," the email says.

Faculty dissent

Though the agreement was backed by an overwhelming majority, the 76% approval rate highlighted dissension from some faculty who believed that the deal wasn't enough. The union's February 2022 agreement, by contrast, was ratified by 95% of voters.

In the build-up to the vote, a contingent of self-described "rank and file" union members launched an online campaign to reject the tentative agreement. The group argued that the contract locked faculty into insufficient raises — the union had first demanded a single year, 12% raise — and not done enough to address demands, including workload caps, increased mental health supports and gender-inclusive bathrooms.

Some faculty also launched an online petition to change the selection process for the union's bargaining team from presidential appointments to union elections. As of Monday afternoon, the petition had garnered just under 1,100 of its 10,000-signature goal.

The union did not address the campaign or the petition directly, but in its email to faculty acknowledged what it called "some healthy and some not-so-healthy disagreements" about the tentative agreement.

"Some members clearly wanted more progress with this specific contract," the email says. "Most members realize that we will move forward together and that our work for a better CSU continues."

Kawamura said she doesn't think protests against the agreement should be dismissed, but that she was glad the union hadn't passed up what she considered a good deal.

"I am appreciative of the critiques people have. I hope we can move forward together as a union to continue gaining wins for our faculty," she said. "That's the No. 1 thing."

Greg Wood, a physics professor and president of the 370-member union chapter at CSU Channel Islands, said Monday that the agreement's approval showed the union is still united "on the whole."

"There are some folks that think we could do better," he said. "This vote shows there's a majority of our membership that are OK with (the deal). It's not necessarily the loudest voices."

John Caravello, a philosophy lecturer and vice president of the CSUCI union chapter, voted against the agreement. On Monday, he said he viewed the split opinions as "healthy" for the union and for labor organizing overall.

"We needn't always agree on strategy and contracts," he said. "We might disagree heavily on some things, but we agree on one thing: We need the union."

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Cal State faculty back contract despite union dissent