The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees’ Collective Bargaining Committee voted in favor of the ratification of the tentative agreement with the California Faculty Association (CFA) on Tuesday.
The pay increase includes:
- A 5 percent General Salary Increase on June 30, 2016 for all faculty on active pay status or on leave.
- A 2 percent General Salary Increase on July 1, 2016 for all faculty on active pay status or leave
- A 3.5 percent Service Salary Increase on July 1, 2017 for all faculty on active pay status or leave.
- A 2.65 percent Service Salary Increase (step increase) during fiscal year 2017-18 for eligible faculty.
The agreement covers approximately 26,000 instructional faculty and staff on all 23 CSU campuses, which will be in effect through June 30, 2018.
However, in the case of a financial crisis, the agreement may not go forward. In 2007-08, CSU faculty was going to receive an 11 percent raise for 18 months but never got the raise because of a lack of funds, Cal Poly CFA Chapter President Graham Archer said.
“The only thing that can go wrong is if they declare that they don’t have the money, then all state agencies are absolved of their contracts,” Archer said. “(It’s) not outside the realm of possibility, but it would take a financial disaster.”
Aside from salary increases, the agreement will:
- Increase the vesting period from five years to 10 years for retiree health benefits for new faculty hired after July 1, 2017.
- Increase the minimum raise rate for tenure track promotions to 9 percent from 7.5 percent.
Bargaining unit members from the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) and Academic Professionals of California (APC) will also receive a 3 percent general salary increase on July 1 and a 2 percent general salary increase on June 30, 2017.
On April 7, the planned CSU faculty strike was postponed, which took the CFA by surprise.
“Week or two before the strike, we were still thoroughly convinced that we were striking,” Archer said. “We had ordered porta potties and barricades, and created signs, chants and slogans.”
However, these collaborative efforts of the CFA are what ultimately propelled the agreement forward, Archer said.
“The only reason that we got this is because the faculty got together as a union and stood their ground,” Archer said.