California Faculty Association to picket CSU East Bay in Hayward during system-wide strike

Jan. 22-26 calling for “Equity and fair labor conditions to meet the needs of our students.”

Teamsters support effort announce settlement; Associated Students also support strike

By Kevin Pina, calfac.org

In a decisive move for educational equity and fair labor conditions, the California Faculty Association (CFA) has announced a strike set to take place from January 22-26, 2024. CFA is a union of 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches who teach and provide services to the California State University system’s 485,000 students.  During the strike, members of CFA will be picketing the entrances of California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) in Hayward California (Carlos Bee Blvd. & Harder Rd). This decision comes after extensive negotiations and discussions with the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s office have broken down. 

To kick off the first day of the strike at the CSUEB Hayward campus on Monday, January 22, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, California 20th Assembly District and Keith Brown, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will join the rally at Carlos Bee Blvd. in support of CFA’s bargaining positions.  

The primary focus of the strike is to draw attention to how poor working conditions and remuneration for CFA members negatively impacts the education offered to California State University (CSU) students. The CFA is advocating for a 12% wage increase for all faculty, reasonable workload requirements, longer parental leave, and broader access to campus facilities. The goal is to create an environment that fosters academic excellence, while ensuring the well-being of those who dedicate their careers to shaping the minds of the next generation. 

A Dec. 20, 2023, post on the CFA Facebook page claimed the strike is also for “more mental health counselors…and safe campuses.”

The decision to strike was not taken lightly, and the CFA has exhaustively engaged with the CSU leadership to seek alternative solutions. Unfortunately, the inability to reach a mutually beneficial agreement has led to the inevitable decision to strike. 

The strike garnered the support of the Teamsters of CSU which announced a settlement with CSU in a post on the CFA Facebook page on Saturday, Jan. 20th.

The strike is also supported by the Associated Students, Incorporated of Cal State East Bay. The following “Solidarity Statement” was posted on the CFA Facebook page on Friday.

The CFA remains committed to open dialogue with university administrators and encourages them to prioritize the needs of faculty members and our students. CFA believes that through collective efforts, a resolution can be achieved that benefits both faculty and the institutions they serve. 

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.