A massive strike at the nation's largest public university system ended in just a day after the union representing California State University faculty members reached a tentative contract agreement with management.
Thousands of professors, librarians, coaches and other workers at CSU's 23 campuses, which serve more than 450,000 students, staged a walkout on Monday to demand higher wages.
But they will return to work on Tuesday instead of continuing a planned five-day strike after the deal was reached, the California Faculty Association said.
"The collective action of so many lecturers, professors, counselors, librarians, and coaches over these last eight months forced CSU management to take our demands seriously," CFA president Charles Toombs said in a statement. "This Tentative Agreement makes major gains for all faculty at the CSU."
The faculty association celebrated the agreement on social media.
"In case anyone forgot, STRIKES WORK! After months of negotiations, our movement for a #betterCSU has paid off! Our members have won a Tentative Agreement with @calstate that includes raising the floor for our most vulnerable faculty, safer workplaces & expanded parental leave," the faculty association wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In case anyone forgot, STRIKES WORK! After months of negotiations, our movement for a #betterCSU has paid off! Our members have won a Tentative Agreement with @calstate that includes raising the floor for our most vulnerable faculty, safer workplaces & expanded parental leave.#1u pic.twitter.com/q9VXHO0P6p
— California Faculty Association (@CFA_United) January 23, 2024
According to the association, the tentative agreement includes a 5 percent general salary increase for all faculty, retroactive to July 1, 2023. It will also see workers' salaries increase again on July 1 this year, raise the salaries of the lowest-paid faculty by $3,000, and increase parental leave from six to 10 weeks.
The CFA had pushed for pay increases of 12 percent for the 2023-24 academic year, pay equity and raising the minimum salaries of the lowest-paid faculty, increasing paid parental leave to a full semester and manageable workloads.
CSU also confirmed an agreement had been reached.
"I am extremely pleased and deeply appreciative that we have reached common ground with CFA that will end the strike immediately," CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in a statement.
"The agreement enables the CSU to fairly compensate its valued, world-class faculty while protecting the university system's long-term financial sustainability."
Newsweek has contacted the California Faculty Association and California State University for further comment via email.
CSU's statement did not provide details of the agreement but advised students to look for messages from their instructors about any class schedule adjustments.
The CFA, which represents more than 29,000 CSU workers, has been negotiating since May. The five-day strike was announced last week after CSU officials ended contract negotiations two weeks ago with a unilateral offer of a 5 percent pay raise, effective January 31.
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