As you all have already heard CSU campuses across the state are standing firm in their decision to strike if the Chancellor and the California Faculty Association do not come to a consensus soon. While recent news has stated that the the contract between the two has been reopened and will be reevaluated this does not mean that the strike is completely off. What this does mean, is that the strike has been postponed to a later date if a 5% pay raise for California facility is not met.
In order to get a personal view on the potential pros and cons of the strike we interviewed two teachers to get their insight on the strike. The first professor has asked to remain anonymous and the second is Ed Sorensen, a member of the management department here at San Francisco State University.
1. How do you feel about the strike?
“I think that it’s sad that something so drastic is necessary but I am willing to do what I need to do to help myself and others get the recognition they deserve.”
2. How do you see this affecting teachers in the long run?
“Hopefully it will show how strong we really are. I also hope it will help teachers afford to live if not in the city at least close by.”
3. How do you see this affecting future faculty and students?
“I see it affecting how future students and faculty are treated. This strike would be a way to show that we are willing to fight for our schools and I hope that pride is carried on into future generations.”
4. Besides getting an increase in pay, what else do you want to gain from this experience?
“Awareness. More publicity on how funds are distributed at CSU’s”
5. Do you feel that striking is enough to have your voice be heard?
“If enough people are involved I think it is.”
– Anonymous
1. How do you feel about the strike?
“The strike was about fairness. Since 2007 faculty have only received one modest salary increase. Even with the 5% increase in salary that faculty are going to receive as part of the tentative agreement, salaries will not have kept pace with inflation. Faculty deserve to at the very least to have their employer recognize the importance of maintaining faculty purchasing power.”
“Faculty are part of a union, the California Faculty Association, that represents faculty on all 23 CSU campuses. The main advantage of collective bargaining agreements is strength through numbers. Individual workers don’t have much bargaining leverage against a large employer. This is true in both the public and private sector. Unless you have a majority of workers willing to support a collective action, then employers can easily harass or fire individual workers (such as union leaders) without any consideration of fairness.”
2. How do you see this affecting teachers in the long run?
“If employers see the role between workers and management as adversarial, then there is no change in the long-run struggle for fair wages and working conditions. It is an ongoing battle. There is some evidence in the tentative agreement announced today that the CSU system may try to heal this relationship, such as by agreeing to the wage terms and agreeing to jointly investigate ways that faculty issues can be addressed in a more collaborative fashion.”
3. How do you see this affecting future students and faculty?
“While the tentative agreement does increase CSU labor cost, there was money in their current budget to support the 5% salary increase. The real issue going forward is whether or not the state of California is going to restore the levels of state funding that existed prior to the Great Recession. If not, then all of the stakeholder groups end up fighting over a shrinking pie. It is the cuts to state funding that have been the primary factor leading to the tuition increases of the last 6 years.”
4. Besides an increase in pay, what else do you want to gain from this experience?
“The issue was not what faculty would gain; it was what was going to be lost. Not only is the purchasing power of our wages down, but it is demoralizing to have to threaten to strike just to be treated fairly. The CSU had threatened to dock every faculty member’s pay for an entire week for any faculty member who participated in the strike, which to me was a clear intimidation tactic, even though it was legal. How can I trust an employer who threatens to use their leverage over me and seemed willing to ignore my reasonable wage demands?”
5. Do you feel like the strike is enough to have your voice heard?
“Contract negotiations have dragged on for over a year. My union always seeks to negotiate first. No faculty member that I know wanted to strike, but we had to be ready to take that stand to convince the administration that we would not cave in. Strike is a last resort, and I am glad it was averted.”
“I do want to thank my union, not only for the hard work they did on this contract, but also for taking a stand to have the contract protect the rights of temporary faculty, lecturers such as myself. I also want to thank the administration for finally coming to their senses on this issue, and for the wonderful benefits package that they generously provide. Let’s hope we can move forward without any additional acrimony and start the healing process.”
– Ed Sorensen
For more information about the strike check out What Students Need to Know about the Potential CSU Teacher Strike.