Issue date: 3/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Kevin Fiscus Brian Rice, vice president of the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 552, speaks Monday. He says that his union stands with the CFA in its fight. "This system has the money to cover their pay increase requests," Rice says. Cecil Canton, below, speaks in the Library breezeway. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Kevin Fiscus [Click to enlarge]

The California Faculty Association took a step toward possible rolling strikes Monday as it officially began to cast votes on the matter.

CFA President John Travis said the vote is a historic action being taken.

"Never before in our history have we taken a strike authorization vote that would pull teachers out of the 23 California State University schools, all 24,000 of us," Travis said.

The option of a systemwide strike came after more than 20 months of negotiation talks between the CSU and the union.

The two parties are currently in the last stages of negotiation called "fact-finding." In this process one representative from each organization along with a neutral fact-finder examines opposing arguments and compiles a report on what step to take.

Travis said the vote is a way to convince the chancellor's office that the CFA wants to be taken more seriously.

Democratic State Senator Gloria Romero said she is happy to join her fellow faculty members to stand up for the rights not just for faculty, but for students as well.

"This is not just about a contract, or a bread-and-butter issue," Romero said. "This is about the quality of education in the nation's largest public education system."

Romero said there is not a single faculty member who wants to strike but that they will prevail in this fight.

Brian Rice, vice president of the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 552, said his union stands with the CFA in its fight.

"These people are not trying to break the bank, and this system has the money to cover their pay increase requests," Rice said.

Rice said if the CSU system complies with the demands of the faculty, in return faculty will remain. It also gives faculty the ability to live off one income if necessary.

Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Labor Council, said his members decided to support a strike if that is how the faculty vote.

"I am here to say that the 150,000 members of the AFLCIO in the Sacramento area have decided that if you vote to go on strike, then we will stand with you and support you," Camp said.

Government Professor Chris Witko said the real shame of the current system what the students are losing by having professors such as himself leave the system.

"What do we remember from college is the special relationship between the faculty and the students, and that is what is being lost here," Witko said.

Many students and faculty members attended by Monday's press conference at the Library to show their support for the CFA.

Taylor Magaziner, a criminal justice major was worried about his own progress as a student.

"As long as I can graduate on time, I hope for everything to work out," he said. "I don't want to have to pay extra if the strike goes longer."

Many faculty members were on hand to vote in person.
Virginia Kidd, communication studies professor who has worked at Sac State since 1974 said he is voting yes on the strike "because overcrowding has negatively impacted the students' learning experience."

"I teach speech class, and the students get less time to do their speeches. Grading one five-page essay takes at least a 30 minutes, and each semester I get more students."

Jenny Stark is a junior faculty member of five years who is also voting yes.

"The students receive less attention, and the quality of the classroom experience goes down," Stark said.

Frank Whitlatch, associated vice president of Public Affairs at Sac State, said the administration's hope is that the vote does not lead to a strike.

"What we hope is this vote is just an exercise and that our fact-finding process works," Whitlatch said, "We know that the faculty deserve a raise."

Claudia Keith, assistant vice chancellor for Public Affairs in the Chancellor's office, said she hopes that a resolution will be reached through the fact-finding process, and that the CSU has made a fair offer to the CFA.

"The CSU is committed to the completion of the fact-finding process," Keith said, "and we believe that if there is no agreement after the end of the fact-finding process, then our faculty will not do anything to harm the students."

Keith said the CSU has offered a 24 percent raise over the next three years. "We hope to come to an agreement with the faculty sooner rather than later so that the faculty can get the raise that they deserve."

Jordan Guinn and Philip Malan can be reached at
news@statehornet.com

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