California State University faculty members and skilled trade members across all 23 campuses will conduct a dual strike from Jan. 22-26, according to the California Faculty Association.

The CFA Board of Directors voted unanimously Monday night to strike with the Teamsters to show solidarity, the CFA said.

The strike is dependent on whether a deal can be struck between the CFA and CSU management during their upcoming meetings on Jan. 8, 9, 11 and 12.

“They can, at any time, prevent a strike by offering a fair contract,” the CFA said. “If they do not, then we will escalate our job actions to create a more promising future for all of us.”

The CFA continues to advocate for a 12% general salary increase, among other issues. All CFA and CSU management proposals and counterproposals can be found here. 

The CFA said the five-day strike is building on the one-day strikes that took place in December at Cal Poly Pomona, San Francisco State, CSU Los Angeles and Sacramento State.

The Teamsters Local 2010, a union composed of CSU skilled trade members, also conducted a one-day unfair labor strike on Nov. 14 on numerous campuses. Picket lines could be seen on Chico State campus in the area of First and Ivy Streets.

In the event the strike carries through, the CFA has some information and tips for students:

• Students should expect all, if not most, classes to be suspended during the strike; sporting events and counseling appointments may also be canceled and unavailable
• Faculty members may not respond to emails and messages of any kind
• If a faculty member decides to cross the picket line, classes and other activities may continue as planned and students could be penalized if they don’t show up to class or submit assignments.

If students have any questions or concerns, the CFA encourages them to reach out to faculty members individually.

The CFA also suggests students do the following to help their striking faculty members and skilled trade members:

• Do not cross the picket line if you decide to join it
• Share CFA actions and solidarity on social media
• Let your professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches know you support them
• If you cannot join the picket line, avoid spending money on campus

The university stays hopeful that an agreement will be reached so a strike can be avoided, Andrew Staples, Chico State’s public relations manager, said. However, if the strike continues as planned, Chico State will encourage students to communicate with their instructors prior to Jan. 22.

“They [students] should not assume all their classes will be canceled, as all faculty may not strike,” Staples said. “Students should stay engaged, check Canvas for messages from faculty and be ready for the spring semester to begin.”

As Chico State President Steve Perez is not a CFA member, he will not be taking part in bargaining activities, Staples said. Perez will be on campus and will communicate with faculty, staff and students as he usually would during the first week of the semester.

The CSU said it respects the right of the CFA to “engage in lawful concerted activities.”

The CSU also said their goal is to reach an agreement with the CFA as soon as possible and are prepared to negotiate at any time to reach an agreement to increase faculty salaries.

“On other issues, CSU is prepared to agree to nearly all of the recommendations of the independent fact finder in order to reach resolution,” the CSU said.

If the strikes continue as planned, the CSU said it hopes to minimize disruptions to students.

The CFA decided strikes would be the best course of action after the fact-finding session ended in December without a deal. During the session, a three-party panel conducted a review of the facts from both sides. 

The impartial third-party, appointed by the Public Employment Relations Board, released a report on Nov. 21 recommending courses of action. To read the report, go here.

CSU faculty’s “no-strike” clause in their contract became void after the fact-finding session ended.

The Orion has reached out to the CFA Chico chapter president and is awaiting response.

Ariana Powell can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].