Strike Wave 2011 Continues: Cal State Faculty Seek Strike Authorization

[Modern School]

A California State University faculty union asked its members this week to authorize a strike after the university rejected a compromise proposal to pay previously negotiated raises, the Los Angeles Times reported this week. If no deal with the university is reached, there could be strikes at the Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay campuses starting on November 17.

The California Faculty Association, which represents 24,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches at 23 Cal State campuses, was angered by Chancellor Charles Reed’s decision to withhold raises that had already been negotiated for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.

Cal State officials have argued that the system has lost nearly $1 billion in state funding since 2008 and has no money for raises. However, they have found the money to give raises to many of their presidents and executives. Additionally, the raises had already been agreed to and employees have already earned them, so reneging on them now, regardless of state budget cuts, should be unacceptable to employees and they would be crazy not to strike.

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/09/strike-wave-2011-continues-cal-state.html