By Christian Park-Gastelum, Sept. 17, 2024
Some Cal Poly Pomona faculty members have yet to receive their 5% pay increase after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the main state budget for 2024-2025, preserving the General Salary Increase for California Faculty Association members.
Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 107 in June, ensuring there were no cuts to California State University’s base budget and a 5% raise for CSU faculty. The raises are effective July 1, and faculty should have seen their General Salary Increase retroactively in their Aug. 31 paycheck as a separate installment, but some have yet to receive their raises, according to the CFA.
“I just want to be clear that many faculty did not actually receive the raise that we were supposed to get,” said Bonnie Thorne, CPP’s CFA Unit 3 president and a psychology professor. “We were supposed to see a 5% raise in our last paycheck, and for reasons that nobody can explain, many of our faculty did not get that raise. We are getting some retroactive pay, but to my knowledge that hasn’t shown up. The last paycheck is the one where the 5% should have been added and for many people, mostly our lowest paid faculty, and it was not.”
The CFA sparked heavy contract negations with CSU’s management in May 2023 after being denied their proposed 12% pay increase, then counteroffered 4%.
Disagreement over pay raises persisted through the fall 2023 semester, inciting a one-day strike across four campuses: Cal Poly Pomona (Dec. 4), San Francisco State (Dec. 5), Cal State L.A. (Dec. 6) and Sacramento State (Dec. 7).
Another strike intended to last from Jan. 22-26, the first week of spring semester, but ultimately ended after its first day when the CFA and CSU management reached an agreement.
“I don’t want to sound overly materialistic, but my work is valuable,” said Alison Baker, a professor of English medieval literature and epic romance, mythology and folk literature. “I’m glad to do this job, but I didn’t get into this job because I knew it would give me a big house on the hill. I do need to be able to survive and put my own kids through college. It feels good that the promises are being kept and that the work is being valued.”
Article 31 of the CFA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement 2022-2025 said faculty members are guaranteed a 5% pay raise retroactive to July 1, 2023, then again July 1, 2024.
It also discusses faculty members who are eligible will receive a Service Salary Increase of 2.65% (teachers who worked equivalent of at least 24 weighted units). The same is true for the General Salary Increase
As part of the agreed Collective Bargaining agreement, faculty who were paid minimally on the salary scale, such as lecturers, assistant librarians and coaching assistants will have a pay increase of up to $3,000, equivalating their salary to full time.
“One thing to remember, especially for students, this is where you get your education, but it’s also a workplace,” said Thorne. “Cal Poly employs a lot of staff and faculty, and there are some workers in the state who get automatic cost of living increases, and we don’t. We have to bargain those. I’m sure you know that everything has gotten so much more expensive, food, rent and housing, and faculty experienced that in Southern California.”
The raises for this fiscal year depended on the approved main California Budget of 2024-2025. Funding for Higher Education was preserved, allowing for CSU faculty members to receive their raises.
According to the CFA website , members of the CFA regularly attended budget committee hearings and Lobby Days to ensure their voices were heard regarding the raise.
“We worked really hard to make sure that the 5% didn’t get cut because there are many agencies and programs in the state that had money cut, and we had a lot of our members who went up to Sacramento and lobbied and met with legislators and told them how much our faculty needed that raise and it really is down to the hard work of our faculty,” said Thorne.
The 2024 CSU factbook states the CSU serves over 450,000 students across 23 campuses, hosting jobs for more than 60,000 employees.
According to the 2024 Enactment Budget Summary- Higher Education, CSU’s budget will be cut 7.95% starting the 2025-2026 fiscal year and $252.3 million will be withheld deferring the General Funds until the following year.
After repayment of the deferred funds in 2026-2027, the same approximate amount of money will be withheld and deferred until 2027-2028. Essentially, the money that is paid back is taken away, then paid back the following year.
“In 2027-28 the CSU should plan for both the repayment of this one-time deferral and the approximately $240.8 million ongoing General Fund to be included within its base budget,” as stated in the 2024 Enactment Budget Summary- Higher Education.
CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia released a statement after the 2024-2025 California Budget was signed, expressing gratitude for the allotted funds while highlighting CSU’s funding flaws.
“The California State University appreciates the Legislature and Governor’s commitment to increasing funding for the CSU in this year’s budget despite the state’s severe and ongoing budget deficit,” Garcia said. “However, the CSU’s fiscal challenges persist — we face a funding gap of approximately $200 million entering year 2024-25. Additional cuts and deferrals intended for the CSU budget in the following two years would exacerbate our significant fiscal challenges and further complicate the already difficult cost-savings measures our 23 universities are currently undertaking.”
The CFA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement is valid through 2025, meaning new negotiation terms for a new contract with CSU management will begin soon.
Baker hopes the new contract will include matching salaries with inflation, an increase in parental leave and a commitment to counseling for mental health on campus for students.
“Nobody ever strikes just for money because it’s quality of life in the university,” she said. “And the quality of life for students is where we’re putting our foot down.”
Featured image courtesy of Dmitry Berdnikov, Golden Gate Xpress.