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A planned one-day strike for November 17th at two California State University campuses looms as labor negotiations stall between the university and the California Faculty Association. CFA members voted overwhelmingly to approve the action with 93% supporting the strike this Thursday at two campuses, Cal State Dominguez Hills in southern California, and Cal State East Bay in the north. The strike comes after deep cuts to the CSU budget and rising tuition, prompting frequent protests by students and faculty. The California Faculty Association states concerted action is legal and warranted because Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed refuses to negotiate an increase in salary, offering zero from the beginning of talks and sticking to the position despite union offers of a compromise. The union also states the Chancellor has approved salary adjustments for University executives that he will not agree to for the faculty contract. For the 2009/2010 school year, CSU faculty agreed to a 10% pay cut and the union says when adjusted for inflation the average salary for CSU faculty has fallen by 10% since 1998. If the one-day strike takes place on Thursday it will be the first time CSU faculty have ever gone on strike, with planned actions in the past averted by 11th hour breakthroughs in contract negotiations. Choosing Cal State Dominguez and East Bay as the campuses for Thursday’s action is strategic, as each campus serves a large population of working class students and students of color, exemplifying the purpose of the Cal State system to make a college education accessible to all Californians.

GUEST: Lillian Taiz, President of California Faculty Association, Professor of History at Cal State LA

Visit www.calfac.org for more information.