@csun.edu

March 11, 2002

Vol. VI, No. 12

CSU and CFA Reach Tentative Agreement for Pay Raises

After bargaining for nearly a year, the California State University system and the California Faculty Association have agreed on terms for a tentative three-year agreement, including a 2 percent faculty salary increase for each fiscal year, 2001-02 and 2002-03, and additional selected raises for 2002-03.

The agreement is subject to ratification by the CFA membership and approval by the CSU Board of Trustees. The agreement runs through June 30, 2004.

"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement that is mutually acceptable, and continues to provide competitive salary increases and benefits for faculty as well as part-time lecturers," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "The trustees and the administration very much wanted to compensate the faculty for the outstanding work they do in providing high-quality education to CSU students."

"This agreement reflects an important turn-around after months of bargaining. I congratulate everyone who worked on it for their persistence and hard work," said CFA President Susan Meisenhelder.

Michael Reagan, president of the CFA chapter at Northridge, said campus faculty bargaining unit members can vote on the agreement from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, March 18-21, in the lobby of the Oviatt Library.

Reagan said Northridge voting will occur in the second week of the two-week period of voting at CSU campuses statewide. The tentative agreement will be accepted or rejected by a simple majority of those voting. Reagan said the systemwide result could be known by Friday, March 22 or Monday, March 25.

The tentative agreement for faculty bargaining unit members includes:

Compensation

A 2 percent general salary increase, effective April 1, 2002 (from fiscal year budget 2001-02).
A 2.65 percent Service Salary Increase (SSI) for eligible faculty members, effective June 30, 2002 (FY 2002-03).
A 2 percent general salary increase, effective July 1, 2002 (FY budget 2002-03).
A 2.65 percent Service Salary Increase, effective June 30, 2003 (FY 2003-04).
A 2.65 percent Service Salary Increase, effective June 30, 2004 (FY 2004-05).
Contingent on a 3.5 percent negotiated settlement for fiscal year 2003-04, 25 percent of the settlement will be for a merit pay program that will be jointly developed.
On June 30, 2002, a 7 percent pay increase will go to department chairs.
On June 30, 2002, counselors will receive salary increases that will place them on the instructional faculty salary schedule. The raises will vary by classification.

Lecturers

Those with six years of continuous service will receive automatic three-year contracts that can be renewed upon review, provided there is work available.
Lecturers will be given first preference for available new courses, provided they are qualified to teach them.
Health benefits for certain lecturers will be provided in two steps, with the first group receiving them beginning June 30, 2002, and the second group on June 30, 2003. Year Round Operations
Faculty compensation for committee work and additional duties will be provided beginning with summer 2004 at year-round campuses.
Other issues related to year-round operations will be discussed by the two parties between now and 2004.

Workload

The CSU will undertake about 1,200 new faculty searches in 2002-03. Currently, the CSU initiates about 1,000 new searches per year.
- Further discussions of workload issues will take place during contract re-opener sessions in 2003-04.
The parties agreed that a higher ratio of tenure-track faculty is beneficial to the quality of education for students.

The 2 percent increase for faculty for 2001-02 is the same percentage agreed to by all other CSU unions, and also is what CSU administrators received.

The tentative agreement came after a three-day fact-finding hearing, completed in mid-February, and continued negotiations thereafter that concluded in the early morning hours of March 2.

If the agreement is ratified by the CFA membership, it will be presented to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval at the May board meeting.

The CSU is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, nearly 400,000 students and 42,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in 1960, it has awarded about 2 million degrees. The CFA is the exclusive collective bargaining representative for CSU faculty, and represents tenure-track faculty, lecturers, librarians and counselors.