CFA Files PERB Charge for CSU Chancellor Communications on One-Time Pay

CFA on April 15 filed an unfair labor practice charge against CSU management for violating state labor law by reaching out to members and other represented employees about their belief that 2025 raises should be in the form of a one-time, taxable 3% bonus. We are fighting against management’s illegal messaging and seeking to hold them accountable.  

Chancellor Mildred García has issued communications that are intended to deter and discourage faculty from being in our union and interfere with our work representing the bargaining unit. 

Through the charge filed with California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), we seek an order requiring management to stop the conduct, notify faculty of its violations, and provide other relief deemed just and proper.  
 
The problematic communication in question is related to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Budget Act of 2025, which made a short-term zero-interest loan of up to $144 million available to CSU.  
 
On October 15, 2025, Joseph Jelincic, Associate Vice Chancellor of Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations, reached out to let us know that the CSU intends to use the loan to create one-time employee compensation pools. The next day, Chancellor García reached out to all CSU employees, announcing that CSU had accepted the $144 million loan, which she said will be used to create one-time compensation pools for all employee groups. 

Then, on January 5, 2026, García sent a “Welcome Back” and “Important Announcement” message to all employees, including represented employees. The message let non-represented employees (i.e. management employees) know that they would be getting their money.  

The message implied that unions are the only thing preventing represented employees (like faculty and non-management staff) from getting this one-time bonus. Messages like this are intended to deter employees from joining, trusting, or remaining in their unions in violation of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA).  

Additionally, the Chancellor’s message didn’t clarify that the “bonus” was far less than currently proposed by CFA’s own bargaining team. 

PERB has previously ruled that messages like the Chancellor’s January 5 email violated state labor law, including cases with the University of California (UC) system.  

Raises and bonuses are a matter for collective bargaining, which was and is in progress.  

The CFA Bargaining Team and management exchanged bargaining proposals in November. You can find our proposal and management’s proposal on our bargaining website.  

The difference between the two offers couldn’t be more stark. Management is offering a one-time “bonus” that leaves base pay untouched and still unable to keep up with inflation. CFA is proposing a dependable salary schedule that increases with the cost of living. The Chancellor’s deal is akin to a “pizza party” while CFA’s proposal offers real relief and just compensation. We will keep you updated as our PERB charge progresses.