Union at California State University stage walk off, demand wage increases as school starts

A union with 29,000 faculty members at California State University (CSU) staged a walk off Monday and is demanding higher wages and other benefits, per a recent report. 

"The systemwide strike of professors, lecturers, counselors, librarians and coaches, who are demanding a 12% wage increase and other benefits, is the first ever across all of CSU’s 23 campuses," the Los Angeles Times reported. 

The union members have called for a pay increase of 12% for all faculty and the increase of the minimum salary of $54,360 to $64,360. 

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A union made up of 29,000 faculty members at California State University (CSU) staged a walk off Monday and is demanding higher wages and other benefits, per a recent report.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

"They have also pushed for other improvements, including smaller class sizes, the extension of parental leave to a full semester and gender-inclusive bathroom spaces," the LA Times reported. 

"Our intention is to shut down the university," president of the Cal State Fullerton chapter of the California Faculty Association, Gregory Brown, told the outlet. "The CSU is not paying us what we deserve. We know for a fact that we have faculty that are food unstable, housing unstable. Some of our faculty members come to campus to use the internet, because they can’t afford to pay."

A Cal State spokesperson said that teachers and faculty members remain "responsible for assuring that students meet the learning outcomes for the courses they teach" despite the walkout. 

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A Cal State spokesperson said that teachers and faculty members remain "responsible for assuring that students meet the learning outcomes for the courses they teach" despite the walkout.  (iStock)

"The CSU is communicating with students that campuses will be open to provide services to students and to check with their professors about class schedules during the strike, as not all faculty will choose to go on strike," CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith said in a statement.

CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia signaled interest in a deal with the union in a statement Friday. 

"Let me assure you, as a new chancellor four months into the job, I have no interest in a strike," Garcia said. "We are ready and willing to come back to the bargaining table with the California Faculty Assn., but we must work within our financial realities." 

CSU did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

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