Cal State System strike begins, and ends, in one day
InsidehigheredJan 23
California State University Faculty Strikes Deal to End Walkout
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The Facts
Late Monday night, California State University (CSU) management and the California Faculty Association (CFA) union signed a provisional agreement giving CSU faculty a 5% raise retroactive to last year and an additional 5% on July 1, leading the faculty to cease industrial action Tuesday, ending a planned weeklong strike.
On Monday, thousands of professors and lecturers across the California State University (CSU) system began a walkout seeking higher pay and benefits. The protest had been expected to result in the cancellation of most courses for roughly 460K students across all 23 CSU campuses.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The fact that the CSU and CFA unions reached an agreement to end a systemwide strike after just one day is remarkable. The provisional agreement struck on Monday night ensures the university system's long-term financial viability, while also providing for the demands of its respected faculty. CSU will collaborate to provide an affordable, world-class education to California's diverse population, especially by working to avoid unnecessary industrial action disrupting students' education.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though the provisional deal does not meet all union demands, it comes close. The result of just a one-day faculty walkout across all 23 CSU campuses has sent a clear message: strikes work. If anything, the action taken by educators has taught their students vital life lessons, such as the significance of collective strength and the important of standing up for what one believes in.