As thousands of California State University faculty members prepare to make history on Thursday by staging the first ever faculty strike in the CSU since the start of collective bargaining, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed again proved that he is out of touch with what teaching and learning conditions are like on the campuses.
In a telephone conference call with reporters this morning, Reed tried to brush away the historic event suggesting that "most all of the faculty will show up to teach their classes on Nov. 17 and won’t be on strike.”
This assessment comes from the same person who thought that raising a campus president’s salary by $100,000 on the same day as raising student fees by 12% was a strategic move. Clearly, the Chancellor’s tone deafness continues unabated. He is clueless about why so many faculty have said: “I don’t want to strike, but I will!”
Their willingness to take this important step is directly related to Reed’s failure to honor his agreement with the faculty from 2008/09 and 2009/10.
More importantly, it is symbolic of the Chancellor’s misplaced priorities and “executives first” management style that is threatening what was once the best higher education system in the country.
Here are some more of the Chancellor’s Inconvenient Truths:
- Reed can afford to settle the dispute. In fact, the total CSU budget is larger today than when the contract was negotiated: today, the CSU budget is $213 million (5%) larger than it was in 2007/08.
- The Chancellor could implement the third-party settlement recommendation for less than one-quarter of one percent of the CSU budget.
- The strike will NOT hurt students.
- Students, faculty & staff are in the same boat. Year after year, the Chancellor throws away money on executive pay, perks and pet projects, while students, staff & faculty struggle.
- The real issue is how the Chancellor chooses to spend the money he does have—and Reed has as much money now as he had in 2007.
- This strike will not prevent any students from graduating—but slashing courses, increasing class sizes, refusing to pay faculty adequately, hiking fees, and laying off teachers does.
- A fair contract for faculty does not require fee hikes for students, but it DOES require the Chancellor to adjust his priorities.
We as faculty members do not undertake these actions lightly or without thorough preparation. We have reached this point only after years of frustration with the mismanagement of the CSU.
In the end, this Chancellor and his administration will only respond if he comes to understand that the faculty of the CSU will not be acquiescent.
On Thursday we will take a stand not only for our own livelihoods and the support of our families, but also for the quality of education provided to our students and the future of the university itself.
The time has come for action! Please join us on the picket line Thursday.
Document Your Participation at:
- Twitter: Use hashtag #csustrike
- Facebook: post photos and video at facebook.com/californiafacultyassociation
See Messages Of Support From Across The Nation At:
http://www.calfac.org/strike411#--messages-of-support
