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Update: CSU Faculty offered 5 percent raise, no retro pay

UPDATE: Friday, April 8, 2016 at 6:35 p.m.

Faculty at Cal Poly and the 22 other California State University campuses are being offered a five percent salary hike effective June 30. 

It's the outcome of negotiations this week between CFA union leaders and CSU administration. Faculty members had been threatening to strike starting next week.

Graham Archer is the President of the San Luis Obispo CFA Chapter. He said Friday afternoon that faculty members at Cal Poly are happy to a large degree, but they are upset about one aspect of the agreement.

"I am starting to hear from faculty that are starting to get up set when they realize that the retroactive part of the salary agreement is not there," said Archer. "We're not going to get a check for the retroactive increase back to last July."

The agreement includes a two percent salary increase starting July first, meaning that faculty members will actually see a seven percent overall bump in their salaries once the contract kicks in.

A 3.5 percent increase the following year is also part of the agreement.

Both sides still need to go through separate processes for approving the deal.

Moving forward, the bargaining calendar will be altered so that negotiations will take place prior to the establishment of the CSU's budget, which could help avoid similar stalemates in the future.

UPDATE: Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 4:02 p.m.

Next week's proposed strike on the Cal Poly campus is on hold as faculty and administration leaders are preparing to announce a tentative agreement. 

The California State University system said Thursday afternoon that a joint news conference is scheduled for Friday morning to announce the details.

California Faculty Association members at the 23 CSU campuses were pushing for a five percent wage increase, while administrators were offering two percent. An independent fact-finder sided with faculty last month.

A 48 hour period of intensive negotiations was in play Wednesday and Thursday with members of both sides agreeing to a media blackout in order to focus on the issues.

The strike was slated to begin this coming Wednesday, April 13, but will be postponed pending approval and ratification of the agreement by the CFA Board of Directors and membership.

It will then be voted on by the CSU Board of Trustees at a meeting in late May.

UPDATE: Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.

The California Faculty Association (CFA) said Wednesday morning that talks between the organization and California State University (CSU) management—including Chancellor Timothy White—started up again on Tuesday.

"As the talks began, CFA was gratified that the Chancellor expressed the same concerns we have highlighted for some time about the toll a system-wide strike could take on the CSU," a statement to CFA members said. "A strike would affect our students, the faculty, and would put at risk the relationship between faculty and the CSU administration for years to come."

Both CFA and CSU management have agreed on a two-day media "blackout period" the letter said. During this time, the two sides will be working to develop an agreement that settles the contract issue.

"For now, CFA is asking the faculty to put strike preparations on hold to give both parties breathing room while we attempt to craft an agreement," the statement said.

Another update is expected on Friday morning.

Original Story:

A planned faculty strike on the Cal Poly campus is just a week away and university leaders are working to get students prepared for the potential scenario. 

At issue is faculty pay.

A letter went out campus-wide Tuesday morning from the Vice President of Student Affairs explaining that the campus will remain open. The letter also discussed what is— and is not—acceptable behavior during that five day period.

The letter said students and faculty have the right to free speech and the university will help facilitate those actions during the strike period. It also says students cannot be compelled to walk picket lines or otherwise support the strike as part of a class assignment, extra credit or in exchange for a grade.

Graham Archer is a professor at Cal Poly and is also the president of the California Faculty Association's local chapter. He said Tuesday afternoon that he's shocked there doesn't appear to be any negotiations taking place between the CFA and the California State University system. This, despite an independent fact finding report in the faculty's favor.

Archer said if faculty on the 23 campuses begin their strike next week, then that represents a total failure in negotiations on the part of both sides.

"If it has to go the full five days, then clearly the CSU has no interest at all in the faculty's well being, and that indicates that we have to step it up a notch," said Archer. "This five-day strike is the opening salvo."

Archer said the best strike is one that doesn't happen, but his organization is prepared to ramp it up in the fall, if need be.

The CSU responded to last month's fact finding report saying it didn't include how to pay for the faculty raises. The union says... the system needs to find the money.