Cal State professors reach tentative agreement to end strike

The California State University system and the union representing thousands of professors and lecturers reached a tentative agreement Monday to raise wages, ending what was the largest strike by university faculty members in U.S. history.

The deal, announced by both parties Monday evening, came just hours after the California Faculty Association, the union representing 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches, began what was planned as a five-day strike across the 23 CSU campuses. serving nearly 460,000 students.

But the tentative deal means faculty at the nation's largest four-year public university system will return to work Tuesday, union officials said.

“This historic agreement was achieved through members' solidarity, collective action, courage and love for each other and for our students,” Antonio Gallo, vice president of educators for the Southern Region, said in a statement. “This deal greatly improves working conditions for teachers and strengthens learning conditions for students.”

Union leaders said wages had not kept pace with California's high cost of living. The deal would immediately increase salaries for all faculty by 5 percent, retroactive to July 1, 2023, with another 5 percent scheduled for July 1, 2024, union officials said.

It would also immediately raise the salary floor for the lowest-paid faculty members by $3,000 and increase parental leave from six to 10 weeks.

“I am extremely pleased and very grateful that we have reached an agreement with the CFA that will immediately end the strike,” Mildred García, chancellor of California State University, said in a statement Monday evening. “The agreement allows the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the long-term financial sustainability of the university system.”

Union members will vote in the coming weeks on whether to approve the contract.