Tentative Agreement FAQ
Tentative Agreement (TA) FAQs
Why did CFA's Board of Directors call off the strike and accept the tentative agreement?
On Monday, January 22, 2024, the CSU’s lead negotiator reached out to CFA in the late afternoon with a better offer than we have seen before. CFA Board of Directors voted to put the TA to a vote to all CFA members and call off the strike. Most of the CFA Board recognized that while we were prepared to strike for the full week, the CSU’s latest offer would mean significant gains for all faculty and particularly those at the lowest lecturer ranges (and corresponding salary bands for coaches, counselors, and librarians). CFA’s Board of Directors is the same representative body that called for the January strike.
What is different about this TA than previous offers?
Most importantly, CSU’s management team agreed to address the lowest paid faculty in a fair way. Management consistently refused to address raising the floor for the lowest paid faculty in ranges A and B. We made it clear that we could not reach an agreement that did not address salary inequity and provide relief to faculty who are at the bottom of the salary scale. We won that.
Management had already imposed a 5% General Salary Increase (GSI) effective January 31, 2024. The TA provides for 5% retroactive to July 1, 2023. For July, 1, 2024, the contingency in the TA is different as well. In past offers at the table, the second 5% raise was contingent upon an increase in state funding. In the TA, the 5% on July 1, 2024 is contingent on the state not reducing overall base funding to the CSU. The TA also includes a salary step Increase (SSI) of 2.65% for this year, 2024-25.
What is a Service Salary Increase (SSI), and how do I know if I'm eligible to receive one?
The SSI is a 2.65% in-range progression raise for faculty who are below the SSI max. Tenure-line faculty, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches can use this chart to see where your base salary is in relation to the SSI max. For faculty on temporary contracts, if you have taught 24 semester WTUs (weighted teaching units) or 36 quarter WTUs in a single department or unit since being appointed, or since receiving a previous SSI or range elevation, you are eligible for the SSI.
What is the budget contingency language?
Originally, CSU management proposed that salary increases for July 1, 2024 be contingent on the CSU receiving $227 million in new money from the state of California. The contingency language in the TA requires only that the state not cut overall base funding to the CSU. The Governor released his draft budget on January 10th which has already committed to maintaining funding for the CSU.
Do I need to report my absence on Monday, Jan. 22?
Faculty should report absences in the usual way they report absences. Many faculty have never reported absences and may need to consult with their dean or payroll offices in order to do so. Reporting varies by campus and by program and department. Many folks were not assigned work on the one day of the strike, and they should not have their pay docked.
What happend to 12% GSI?
The Board of Directors felt the TA’s commitment to 5% GSI in 2023, 5% GSI in 2024, 2.65% SSI (for eligible faculty), and huge gains in raising the minima for Ranges A and B represented a huge win even if it was not structured at the 12% GSI we set out to achieve.
I was hired after July 1, 2023. Will I get the raise?
Yes, all faculty on payroll at the time of ratification will get the 5% for 2023. For those starting in August 2023, it will be retroactive to their date of hire. For those just hired this January, it will also be retroactive to their date of hire.
What other gains will we see if the TA is ratified?
The CSU agreed to increase parental leave from six to ten weeks. Additionally, other open terms will mirror the factfinder’s recommendation as follows:
- temporary employees will have funded non-instructional assignment opportunities;
- workload provisions will address course sizes and counselor ratios (but not caps or ratios);
- department chairs’ minimum salary adjustments will increase;
- gender inclusive restrooms and lactation spaces will be more clearly designated, and deficiencies will be addressed through labor relations;
- the CBA will set out faculty rights with regard to police interviews; and
- possible parking increases at rate of GSIs depending on campus interest/need.
If the TA is not ratified, what comes next?
If members reject this Tentative Agreement, faculty would get none of the negotiated raises, and we would return to the CSUs imposed 5% effective January 31, 2024. Further, we would try to go back to the table to see if we could work out a different settlement. The CSU could refuse to come back to bargain and move on to successor bargaining for 2024.
When would raises reach our paychecks?
If the Tentative Agreement is ratified by CFA members, retroactive raises could appear as early as the April 1 paycheck. This includes the initial 5% General Salary Increase (GSI) for all faculty members, and the $3,000 increases to the floor of Range A and B. The second GSI of 5% and the additional $3000 increase to Range A is expected on July 1, 2024.
The CSU Board of Trustees also needs to ratify the Tentative Agreement.