California Faculty Union Victory! Settlement Reached 21% salary increase over 4 years

Our SF State President Robert Corrigan just announced that our union has won a tremendous victory in settling our contract without having to strike. Our union, the CA Faculty Association's announcement is less definitive -
"CFA and CSU reach deal in principle on contract/Two-day rolling walkouts put on hold while deal is finalized/CFA and the CSU administration have reached a tentative contract agreement and the union’s Board of Directors has voted unanimously to postpone rolling walkouts pending finalized contract language.

Tentative agreements have been signed on the issues of salary, workload, grievances, parking and appointments which have been the most contentiously debated topics in this round of bargaining. The accord was reached using the recommendations of neutral fact finder Sylvia Skratek as framework for the deal.

“We have a tentative agreement that will be good for the CSU, good for our students, good for the faculty,” said CFA President John Travis. “Through this agreement faculty will make real progress toward closing the pay gap between us and our colleagues in other states.”

Should an unforeseen breakdown in these latest talks occur, faculty remain prepared to initiate job actions. The new contract will likely be sent out to the membership for final ratification in late April. Updates will be made to this page as the contract becomes final. "

Here's the info shared by SF State President Corrigan:

April 3, 2007 – The California State University (CSU) today announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the California Faculty Association that provides all CSU faculty with base pay increases of 20.7 percent over a four-year period, as well as step increases for those eligible, making the package worth 24.87 percent.

In addition to these increases, $28 million will be provided in the form of merit and equity increases that will provide raises for senior faculty who have reached the top of the pay scale, as well as boost junior faculty compensation. The CSU will seek an additional 1 percent increase for all employees’ compensation in state budget funds in each of the next three years.

The total pay package, which will cost the CSU more than $400 million over four years, breaks down as follows:
20.7 percent in guaranteed salary increases for all faculty in the form of General Salary Increases; 1 percent step increase (“Service Salary Increase”) in each year
of the contract; because these increases are only paid to approximately one-third of all faculty members each year, these individuals will receive an additional 2.65 percent boost to their salaries when eligible; $28 million set-aside to provide two new merit-based pay programs targeting both junior and senior faculty, and
An additional 1 percent in each of the last three years of the contract, contingent on receipt of additional state budget funds.
The CSU also accepted the fact finder’s recommendations to establish a salary structure committee to examine faculty compensation issues and to increase faculty parking fees commensurate with their General Salary Increases in each year of the agreement.

This tentative agreement must be ratified by the membership of the California Faculty Association. Then it will be submitted to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval. What a relief!
Bravo to our CFA bargaining team and to management's team as well for reaching this agreement and a new 4-year contract for our faculty throughout California!