Faculty strike ends after first day
CORRECTION: The faculty union tentative agreement will only guarantee a 5% general salary increase. The other 5% of the increase will only come if the state does not lower funding for the CSU system. El Leñador regrets the error.
After one day of striking the California State University management and California Faculty Association have reached an agreement about the union’s new contract. Classes will resume as scheduled starting Tuesday, Jan. 23.
In the tentative agreement the faculty will receive retroactive pay with a 5% increase, raising the salary floor for the lowest paid faculty, an additional increase of 2.65% for 2024-2025, extended parental leave, gender neutral bathrooms, lactating rooms and having a union rep present during police interactions for protection.
Fourteenth and B street was packed with professors, lecturers, coaches, librarians and students demanding that CSU come to the bargaining table and reach an agreement about their working contract.
Humboldt’s CFA chapter president Marisol Ruiz and supporter Rick Toledo, led a powerful strike with supporters chanting, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Union power!” and “No justice, No Teach!”.
Multiple groups, consisting of both faculty and students, were striking at the main entrance of Cal Poly Humboldt and by the campus library. The concerns of the faculty are livable wages, parental leave, gender neutral bathrooms and not increasing tuition for the students.
A few of the students expressed different concerns as to why they decided to join the strike and will continue to support the faculty.
Sophomore student Ruben Antilla came out to support the strike stating,” I love the faculty, that’s why I’m here.”
Georgina Cerda, an international student came to support the CFA strike because she believes to have a good education you have to have teachers who are paid fairly; it costs to have a quality education. Cerda also shared that she and other CFA supporters had been flooding the CSU management with emails asking the CSU to be fair and give the teachers what they deserve.
Student Steven Carin, who walks with a cane joined in on the strike, because nothing was going to stop him from showing his support.
“Nothing is more important than education, nothing,” said Carin.
Ruiz quotes Angela Davis to describe the union’s fight for better working conditions saying” freedom is a constant struggle.”
Featured Image by Joahnna Tool
