Historic Strike at California State Universities, Picket Line at Fresno State

Historic Strike at CSU-Fresno
By Mike Rhodes

Faculty members in Fresno and throughout the California State University system went on strike to call attention to stalled negotiations. The California Faculty Association (CFA) has been bargaining with management since May 2023. In a press release, CFA says they have been bargaining for a CSU that centers student learning only to be met with disrespect and derision by management.

At the Fresno rally held on Monday, January 22, John Beynon, president of the local CFA chapter, told the Community Alliance "this is an historic strike and we are striking for our students, striking for ourselves, but we really feel deeply about the mission of the CSU as being an accessible and affordable place where people of California can go to get an education. It is a people's university."

Beynon says that the administrators and executives have treated the university like a "cash cow" for a long time and that needs to stop. Alternatively, "when the teachers are thriving the students are thriving. We have to have a situation where the working conditions are tenable for the faculty so the learning conditions can be optimal for the students, Beynon said."

“In recent news reports, CSU management has only addressed our conflict over salary; they have completely ignored the issues of workload, health and safety concerns, and parental leave. Management wouldn’t even consider our proposals for appropriate class sizes, proper lactation spaces for nursing parents, gender inclusive bathroom spaces, and a clear delineation of our rights when interacting with campus authorities,” said Chris Cox, CFA Vice President of Racial & Social Justice, North, and San José State Lecturer.

Over 400 faculty, students and community members participated in the Fresno rally. The strike is scheduled to continue until Friday, January 26.

CFA represents more than 29,000 tenure-line instructional faculty, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches on the 23 campuses of the California State University system, from Cal Poly Humboldt in the north, to San Diego State in the south.

Photos by Peter Maiden