One-Day Faculty Strikes Start at Biggest US College System

Faculty at California State University, the largest public university system in the US, kicked off a series of one-day strikes Monday across four campuses to push for higher pay and more parental leave for thousands of professors, librarians, coaches, and other workers. Hundreds of faculty members picketed at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for better pay and benefits for the roughly 29,000 workers the union represents across the system's 23 campuses, the AP reports. The California Faculty Association is seeking a 12% salary raise and an increase in parental leave from six weeks to a full semester. Proposals include more manageable workloads for faculty, better access to breastfeeding stations, and more gender-inclusive restrooms.

"What we're doing is in the spirit of maintaining the integrity of what the public education system should be for," said Maria Gisela Sanchez, a counselor at Cal Poly Pomona who picketed Monday. "Public education belongs to all of us." The union also planned strikes this week at San Francisco State University; California State University, Los Angeles; and California State University, Sacramento. The California State University chancellor's office says the pay increase the union is seeking would cost the system $380 million in new recurring spending, per the AP. That would be $150 million more than increased funding for the system by the state for the 2023-24 year, the office said.

Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources, said in a statement that the university system aims to pay its workers fairly and provide competitive benefits. "We recognize the need to increase compensation and are committed to doing so, but our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable," Freedman said. She said the chancellor's office respects workers' right to strike and would try to minimize disruptions on campuses. Beyond the faculty union, other California State University workers are fighting for better pay and bargaining rights. Teamsters Local 2010, which represents plumbers, electricians, and maintenance workers, held a one-day strike last month for better pay. Jason Rabinowitz of the local, which plans to strike in support of the faculty union, said skilled workers have been paid far less than workers in similar roles at University of California campuses.

(More California State University stories.)