(StraightNews.org) – University of California staff are to stage a series of one-day strikes throughout December. Strikers are demanding a 12% pay rise and a parental leave increase from six weeks to an entire semester. More “woke” demands include gender-inclusive restrooms and breastfeeding stations.
The industrial action, led by the California Faculty Association (CFA), will affect professors and other workers and impact campuses including California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California State University (CSU) Los Angeles, CSU Sacramento, and CSU San Francisco.
Anne Luna, president of Sacramento’s CFA, said the pay increase is essential because the cost of living has skyrocketed. “They can afford to provide fair compensation,” she said.
The CSU chancellor calculated that meeting the demands would cost around $380 million in recurring expenditure, $150 million more than the state provides. Human resources vice chancellor Leora Freedman said she recognizes the cost-of-living increase and is committed to improving pay in the future but added that “our financial commitments must be fiscally sustainable.” Luna, however, lashed out at college administrators, saying their income has risen higher and faster than that of professors and lecturers.
Between 2007 and 2022, university president’s salaries rose by 43%, and chancellor pay went from $451,500 to $625,000 – a rise of 38%. Over the same period, professor pay rose by 30%, from $93,643 to $122,016. Lecturers enjoyed a 22% pay hike, bringing their salary to an average of $71,255.
The California Faculty Association represents 29,000 college workers, and according to the Los Angeles Times, more than 95% of its members voted in favor of industrial action during a meeting in October.
Current employment contracts are due for renegotiation next June, and union representatives are accusing CSU of “hoarding billions of dollars” instead of investing it in faculty staff. CSU officials, however, say they are unwilling to fund pay increases by raiding financial reserves, which they say are necessary for emergency expenses. They also argue that pay rises will mean that education programs will be cut.
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