"California State University Faculty and Teamsters United: A Historic Strike for Rights, Respect, and Justice"

In an unprecedented move, members of the California Faculty Association (CFA) at California State University (CSU) campuses, joined by Teamsters Local 2010, have initiated a historic systemwide strike from January 22 to 26. This significant demonstration of solidarity aims to address longstanding grievances related to salary disparities, workload issues, health and safety concerns, and parental leave.

Since May 2023, CFA members have engaged in negotiations with CSU management, seeking reforms that prioritize student learning and improve the working conditions for faculty. Despite their efforts, they claim to have faced disrespect and derision from the management, which has largely focused on salary conflicts, sidelining critical issues such as workload, health and safety, and parental leave.

Chris Cox, CFA Vice President of Racial & Social Justice, North, and San José State Lecturer, expressed frustration over the management's apparent disregard for broader concerns. "CSU management wants to maintain the status quo, which is not working for the vast majority of our faculty, students, and staff," Cox stated. He emphasized the need to address issues like appropriate class sizes, lactation spaces, gender-inclusive facilities, and delineation of rights when interacting with campus authorities.

One of the core demands of the striking faculty is to break away from the existing status quo and pave the way for a more equitable and supportive system. Cox articulated, "In order for us to have a properly functioning system in years to come, we need to improve the working conditions for faculty and learning conditions for students."

Maria Gisela Sanchez Cobo, a CFA Pomona member and Cal Poly Pomona Counselor, highlighted the challenges faced by faculty who often teach multiple classes across counties to make ends meet. She underscored the impact of inadequate counselor-to-student ratios on students, particularly those facing significant barriers, such as working, supporting families, and being first-generation or immigrants.

Sanchez Cobo expressed disappointment in CSU management's decisions, including tuition increases, juxtaposed with the narrative of insufficient funding. "Faculty, students, and staff are resourceful, intelligent, driven people. If we had access to what we needed, more students would be thriving. CSU management needs to invest in the direct providers – the teachers, counselors, coaches, librarians," she asserted.

The striking CFA members are not alone in their fight for a fair and supportive educational environment. Students, staff, and other supporters are standing in solidarity with faculty, advocating for a reversal of CSU management's perceived disinvestment in the individuals directly responsible for student learning and success.

Crystal Chavira-Orduñez, a CSU East Bay student, expressed their commitment to joining faculty on the picket line. "I support faculty. Seeing, in this day and age, faculty facing such disparities, such unfairness is not the CSU I want," they affirmed. Chavira-Orduñez emphasized the need for students to unite with faculty to address issues like large class sizes and low pay, signaling a turning point in challenging decades of disinvestment in the classroom.

CSU management's rejection of key demands, including 12-percent pay raises to keep ahead of inflation, pay equity, manageable workloads, increased counseling support, expanded parental leave, accessible lactation spaces, gender-inclusive facilities, and safety provisions for faculty interacting with university police, has fueled the determination of the striking faculty.

As the historic strike unfolds, the unity between faculty, students, and supporters is sending a powerful message to CSU management. The demands transcend monetary considerations, encompassing a vision for an inclusive, supportive, and equitable learning environment. The strike serves as a catalyst for change, challenging the existing norms and inspiring a collective push towards a brighter future for California State University.

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