CSU Bakersfield Union Solidarity Rally Empowers Members in Fight Against Possible Layoffs

CFA Bakersfield, CSU Employees Union (CSUEU), and Academic Professionals of California (APC) members held a solidarity rally on March 16 to show up for one another and discuss how to save faculty and staff jobs after CSU Bakersfield administrators alerted CFA that layoffs might be possible due to a projected budget shortfall.  

The rally brought people together and sent a message to the campus administration and community that we will fight against budget cuts in the wake of the layoff notice sent to CFA on March 2.  

D Solis, CFA Bakersfield vice president and CSU Bakersfield lecturer, said the rally showed the campus that union members are united and share a common goal to give community members the most quality education we can.  

“We stand together as different unions, as different members of this campus,” Solis said. “We are the life, the heartbeat of this campus. We are here to serve our students.”  

“We’re all connected and when we do take action together, something happens positively.”  

– Patrick Emmett, CFA Bakerfield Lecturer rep

Budget cuts and austerity messaging makes CSU Bakersfield union members’ jobs increasingly difficult, however. Solis doesn’t have work at the moment and prospects of returning look grim. And despite CSU Bakersfield administrators citing a budget shortfall, CFA members know first-time freshmen and transfer enrollment at Bakersfield is up 25% over the last two years, and the proposed state budget includes increasing ongoing CSU funding by $365.7 million. Furthermore, budgeted spending for the Business & Administrative Services division went up by 74.5% in the four fiscal years between 2021–2022 and 2024–2025.  

So, Solis showed up in his red CFA shirt, sending a message to administrators that if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.  

Shanell Tyus, CFA Bakersfield member and CSU Bakersfield lecturer, shared a similar sentiment. To see the solidarity and show of support between the unions was really powerful, she said.  

“When we come together, we are showing that you can’t isolate groups,” Tyus said. “You can’t perpetuate elitism in higher ed institutions and that the ultimate solidarity means that we are opposed to oppression against one group in favor of another. If you harm one of us, you harm all of us.”  

CSU management notified CFA on March 2 that it may need to layoff faculty at CSU Bakersfield because the campus administration alleges a projected budget shortfall for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. CFA Bakersfield alerted members and held an emergency meeting shortly after. Patrick Emmett, CFA Bakersfield member and CSU Bakersfield lecturer, felt a lot of trepidation about the notice, especially after the campus administration eliminated over 10% of faculty jobs last year. But he felt encouraged after going to the solidarity rally.  

“I’m glad that I showed up here today because I think that’s a part of it,” Emmett said. “We’re all connected and when we do take action together, something happens positively.”