California State U strike

[bibiche]

I haven't seen anything here on this. I wonder what people think. Do professors deserve a living wage? Where is all the money going if it isn't going to teaching? Do you think strikes like this will be ultimately beneficial in raising awareness and/or roping in rising college costs?

 

I can't link, but going to www.calfac.org or googling CSU strike will take you to the story.

[Arcadia]

Why would strikes deter rising college costs? Budget has to be balanced hopefully and no one is going to take a pay cut so someone can have a pay raise willingly. I doubt strikes would make Sacramento give more money to CSU to dole out. UC had strikes too. Strikes make me apathetic instead of sympathetic though.

 

ETA:

"When will the strike occur?

 

There is no legal authority for the CFA to strike at this time. However, the CFA passed a resolution authorizing a strike on all 23 campuses on April 13-15 and April 18-19, 2016 should there be no agreement between the parties at the conclusion of the statutory impasse procedure.

 

Will faculty be paid while on strike?

 

If faculty are not performing any of their assigned duties or responsibilities as a result of engaging in concerted activities, then by law they cannot be paid."

http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2016/February/CFA-Strike-Q-A.pdf

 

ETA:

CSU can do what UC does to cope with the pay adjustments.

"The University of California has been admitting thousands of students from out-of-state with lower grades and test scores than state residents as a way to raise cash, a state audit released Tuesday reveals

...

UC President Janet Napolitano called the criticism unfounded, noting that UC has enrolled more California students than it receives funding for from the state."

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Audit-shows-UC-admission-standards-relaxed-for-7215364.php

Edited March 29, 2016 by Arcadia

[mum]

Professors are hoping to raise awareness of the inequality in pay for professors versus administrators. I think even in K-12 schools this is a problem.

[bibiche]

I don't mean the strike will deter college costs, Arcadia. I was more wondering if it would make people aware that professors aren't the ones benefiting from tuition increases. And wondering if people would start to question where tuition dollars are going, which might consequently curb cost increases.

[SKL]

I don't know anything about a strike, but I know that when I was a part-time professor, I was making less than minimum wage. :P  Especially considering that I had to pay for parking.  It was a volunteer position in my mind.

 

I have no idea what full-time professors make, but the ones I've known personally have lived in nice houses and some had stay-at-home wives, so I assume it can't be too bad.

[Arcadia]

. And wondering if people would start to question where tuition dollars are going, which might consequently curb cost increases.

I doubt that enough people would protest to curb cost increases. I think people in general are aware that the higher up admins are well paid. It is a supply and demand issue basically. There will always be people willing to pay for the most popular/famous UCs and CSUs.

 

The additional state funding to CSU is supposed distributed this way

 

"Here is a breakdown for the $269 million in additional state funds:

 

Enrollment increase of 3 percent: $103 million

Student success initiatives: $38 million

Salary increases of 2 percent to faculty and staff: $66 million

Facilities maintenance and infrastructure needs: $24 million

IT infrastructure upgrades: $14 million

Mandatory costs (increases to employee benefits, etc.): $23 million" http://edsource.org/2015/12300-more-students-headed-to-csu-campuses/83173

 

Calstate budget summaries in excel format links

http://www.calstate.edu/budget/final-budget-summaries/

[Arcadia]

I have no idea what full-time professors make, but the ones I've known personally have lived in nice houses and some had stay-at-home wives, so I assume it can't be too bad.

CSU HR report page 41 onwards. It's 6 figures for professors.

http://www.calstate.edu/hrpims/salary/SalarySchd20140708.pdf

[Crimson Wife]

Pension reform is desperately needed because a LOT of the budget is going to paying former professors and admins six figure plus annual pensions. My godfather is a retired professor in the UC/CSU system (taught in both) and he took a dean's position for a year specifically to boost his pension because the pension calculation only looks at final salary rather than an average amount over the career like Social Security does.

[Guest]

I don't know anything about a strike, but I know that when I was a part-time professor, I was making less than minimum wage. :P Especially considering that I had to pay for parking. It was a volunteer position in my mind.

 

I have no idea what full-time professors make, but the ones I've known personally have lived in nice houses and some had stay-at-home wives, so I assume it can't be too bad.

That's the same issue here. Our adjuncts are amazing and some of my favorite professors have been refused tenure several times over, it's maddening.

[Crimson Wife]

This op-ed is a couple years old, but explains the problem with retiree pensions: http://www.wsj.com/articles/allysia-finley-playing-chicken-with-tax-dollars-and-tuition-in-california-1416612138

 

"Most faculty can retire at 60 and receive a pension equal to 75% of their final salary. More than 2,100 retirees in the university retirement system collected six-figure pensions in 2011. Neither the UCs nor their employees contributed to their retirement fund for 20 years; the assumption was that they could ride the booming stock market. Now the fund is $10 billion in the hole."