Faculty Pledged to Take Action: We Reached Our Goal and Here's What's Next for the Campaign

We are proud to announce that we met the goal for our CFA Solidarity Pledge, which closed last Friday, September 25. The pledge asked faculty to choose if they would: 1) talk to their students about the contract campaign, 2) take further action on their campus, or 3) talk to five other members about the contract. Thank you to all who signed the pledge and committed to fighting for the contract we deserve through these different steps. 

CFA leaders across the state are using data from the pledge to strengthen our campaign to Fund the Classroom, Not the Boardroom. With this information, leaders have already discussed a week of actions in October, and other possible next steps to win the best contract possible. As you may recall, the pledge was our temperature check on how many faculty are willing to take action to win better pay, working conditions, and protections for all of us.  

When it comes to the statutory process, we are still in factfinding. For the factfinding panel, CFA has selected Kevin Wehr, Bargaining Chair and Sacramento State professor, as our representative, and management has selected Joseph Jelincic, Associate Vice Chancellor for Labor Relations, as their representative. The parties still need to designate a neutral chairperson for the panel.  

Once the panel finishes its investigation, it will submit its findings and non-binding recommendations privately to both parties. There will then be a 10-day blackout period where both parties can try to settle the agreement before they can publicly share the Factfinder report. The publication of this report will be the final step in the statutory process, after which we will be legally allowed to take job actions, including a potential strike.    

If, during the factfinding process, the bargaining team determines that concerted activity is the best strategy, after wide consultation among groups of the union, the team can recommend that the Board of Directors call for a strike authorization vote. The vote gives members the ability to weigh in on whether or not to strike. If the vote passes, leaders can then call a strike and determine the best time and strategy for rolling out the strike(s).  

In the meantime, please stay engaged in our fight. Talk to your colleagues and students about our campaign, participate in chapter meetings, and get ready for October actions on your campus! Reach out to your field representative or chapter president for more ways to get involved.  

We will keep you updated on what’s next. Together, we will move onwards in our fight to Fund the Classroom.