Sign the Pledge Card: None of Us Deserve Less Than What We’re Worth

There are only eight days remaining until the Pledge Card closes. Please take a moment to sign it as a CFA member. 

By not signing the pledge card, we’re giving Chancellor Mildred García permission to move us backward toward a weaker contract with no ongoing raises, with a plan to shift the cost of healthcare onto faculty, and a continued exploitation of our labor and growing workload. 

If we want meaningful raises, affordable healthcare, and to be truly valued in our workplace, we need to let the chancellor know that we won’t back down from this fight. Signing this pledge card isn’t just about a quick signature. It’s a commitment to stay united for the future we envision. 

Below are some of the reasons why members from across the state have pledged in solidarity:

Tammy Lau | Fresno State Librarian 

“I signed the ‘Fund the Classroom, Not the Boardroom’ pledge card without hesitation because I know our solidarity is our superpower!  If we want to win the contract we deserve and fight for the future of CSU as the people’s university, we have to stand together and make ourselves heard! Put CSU management on notice that they cannot keep messing with faculty because WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN!” 

Scott Kelley | San Diego State Biology Associate Professor 

“I’m joining the bargaining fight to defend the CSU from the grossly overpaid administrators, managers, and consultants intent on plundering our money for themselves and Wall Street. While the bosses give themselves double digit raises and build vanity structures, they offer zero percent raises to workers and threaten our healthcare. The fact that they want to replace faculty with so-called “AI” and take away our academic freedom while increasing our workload (and student tuition and fees) tells us all we need to know. Long Beach doesn’t care about education, the faculty who generate knowledge, or student learning. Meanwhile, students, faculty and staff are struggling to get by in the most expensive state in the United States while the chancellor and CSU presidents get free houses to live in. The CSU managers funnel BILLIONS to Wall Street from students while these same students increasingly have to rely on the food bank and sleep in their cars. The only way we can stop and reverse this is together, in solidarity. We deserve better, our students deserve better, and we need to fight to save higher education in California.”

Jimmy Guilinger | CSU Monterey Bay Applied Environmental Studies Assistant Professor

“Here along Monterey Bay, as it is across much of California, the cost of living has skyrocketed and made it challenging for many of us to make ends meet or save for the future. Because of this I signed the Pledge Card and wholeheartedly support CFA’s bargaining proposals, particularly the Cost-of-Living Adjustment + 2% to ensure all of us faculty can meet our basic needs and fully serve our students as they pursue fulfilling careers.”  

Ericka Verba | CSU Los Angeles Latin American Studies Professor 

“I signed the pledge because the CFA’s proposal is so spot on and the CSU Management’s proposal is so wrong. In the over two decades that I have worked for the CSU, I have seen my workload increase exponentially and my salary degraded as we receive sporadic raises that fail to keep up with inflation. CFA’s proposal would establish safeguards to ensure that this will no longer be the case moving forward. CSU management’s proposal will only make an untenable situation worse.”  

Jim Murray | CSU East Bay Biology Professor 

“I signed not primarily for myself. I am fully promoted, and I have a spouse who makes more than me. I could sit this out and we’d be okay. I am signing because our assistant professors and lecturers are not paid enough to live in our area. We worked hard to recruit good teachers, and we are not supporting them like we should. Some are trying to raise children or buy a house. That should not be out of reach for faculty with a terminal degree employed by the richest state in the country.” 

Dirk Horn | CSU Bakersfield Political Science Lecturer 

“I signed the pledge card because we need to demonstrate to administration that we are united in our demands for a fair contract and fair compensation in the face of increased executive and administrative pay and full funding from the state for multiple years. It’s time for Millie to recognize that students are the backbone of the CSU and faculty are here to serve the students and should be compensated fairly. Including taking the cost of living in California into account like they did when raising administrators pay. We have to let the CSU know that we will not accept their ‘raises for me and none for thee’ approach to contract negotiations.” 

Shelly Ann Collins Rawle | CSU Long Beach Counselor  

“I signed a solidarity pledge because fighting for fairness is the only way forward.” 

Jon Bruschke | CSU Fullerton Human Communication Department Chair & Professor 

“I’m signing the card because, as a faculty rights rep, I have seen first-hand that the mission statements and promises of inclusion go out the door as soon as a conflict starts. We need a strong union, and I’m willing to fight for my faculty colleagues who speak up.” 

Steve McFarland | CSU Dominguez Hills Labor Studies Professor 

“CSU admin has signaled they want to open the door on raising our healthcare costs. To stop takebacks like that, and win an ongoing Cost-of-Living Adjustment so we never have to worry about inflation eating away our salaries again, we all need to stand up together this semester.” 

Tiffini Coleman-Hubbard | CSU Los Angeles Social Work Lecturer 

“I signed because I am grateful for the union representatives’ advocacy, guidance, and commitment to protecting employees’ rights during a challenging and uncertain time that I personally experienced. Their support and representation helped ensure that my concerns and interests were heard and respected.” 

We have a responsibility to our students, our colleagues, and the communities we serve to remain vigilant and speak up when we are confronted with injustices in our workplace and our institution. Please take a moment to sign the pledge card and show that you are with us in our pursuit of justice and dignity.