The California State University system has reached a tentative deal with the union representing thousands of professors and lecturers, ending the largest strike by university faculty members in U.S. history. The deal, announced on Monday night, came just hours after the California Faculty Association had begun a planned five-day walkout across the 23 C.S.U. campuses, which serve nearly 460,000 students. The agreement will improve the working conditions for faculty, includes a 5 percent raise for all faculty retroactively to July 1, 2023, and will increase the salary floor for the lowest-paid faculty members by $3,000 and increase parental leave to 10 weeks from six.
Union leaders said that wages had not kept up with the high cost of living in California. The California State University strike was the latest in a series of large-scale labor actions nationwide involving workers across industries that are struggling with wages that have not kept pace with high inflation. Education strikes have also been on the rise in recent years, particularly in California. This strike reflects the growing unrest among faculty, as universities have increased reliance on low-paid part-time instructors. Even though the union didn’t achieve its goal of 12 percent raises for all faculty, this deal is a big win for the lowest-paid faculty members and is expected to have a positive impact on their lives.
C.S.U. leaders and the faculty association had been negotiating since May. Union members will vote in the coming weeks on whether to approve the contract, which demonstrates the collective action, bravery, and love for students which led to the historic agreement, improving working conditions for faculty and student learning conditions. This agreement will allow faculty to return to work after striking for five days.