CFA recently filed two Unfair Practice Charges with California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against CSU management.   

On October 9, CFA filed a charge over university management publishing a CSU employee compensation study directly to faculty, outside of bargaining. The “study” failed to consider the cost of living in California. 

    

In the charge, CFA explains that on August 7, Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer Dave Grant sent an email to all CSU employees sharing management’s findings from their compensation study for faculty and staff. Grant stated that management would “carefully review and understand the findings so they can inform next steps and future proposals related to employee compensation.”   

Through this communication, management deterred or discouraged faculty from becoming or remaining members of CFA. Management also interfered with faculty’s right to join CFA and participate in protected activities.  

As a remedy, we are seeking an order requiring management to:    

  • cease and desist from the unlawful conduct  
  • post a notice in conspicuous places concerning its state labor law violations  
  • email a notice to employees concerning its state labor law violations  
  • provide other relief deemed just and proper  

On October 1, CFA filed a separate charge related to management’s conduct after a union action during a convocation event at CSU Long Beach (CSULB). CFA members, along with employees represented by other unions, engaged in a collective protest to raise awareness about their labor demands during the event on August 21.   

About four weeks after the event, CSULB emailed warning letters to at least six CFA-represented faculty members who participated in the protest. The letters accused faculty members of participating in a “disruption,” engaging in “unprofessional conduct,” and violating the CSU Systemwide Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) Policy. 

Management also explicitly warned that “future violations… may result in appropriate corrective or disciplinary action.” 

By doing this, CSULB management unlawfully interfered with faculty’s right to participate in concerted union activities. Management also retaliated against faculty for engaging in protected activity. Both are violations of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA). 

As a remedy, we are seeking an order requiring management to: 

  • post a notice and read the notice admitting that the university violated HEERA at the next Board of Trustees meeting (followed up by posting the video prominently on the CSU’s website)  
  • publicly commit to refrain from such conduct in the future  
  • immediately rescind and expunge the warning letters and any related documentation from faculty personnel files and from all other records maintained by the university  
  • cease and desist from retaliating against employees for engaging in protected concerted activity and from interfering with the rights of employees and the union  
  • provide other relief deemed just and proper 

We will keep you updated on how PERB rules on these charges.   

Join CFA
Scroll To Top