California Faculty Association

CFA Bargaining Update: Yesterday morning, we received a letter from the mediator moving both the CFA Bargaining Team and CSU management’s bargaining team to factfinding.

Every CFA chapter will be holding actions this week to encourage members to get out and vote. Attend your campus action & cast your vote on authorizing a strike on site! www.calfac.org/resources/cfa-october-2026-week-of-action/#FundTheClassroomNotTheBoardoom

CFA delegates and member leaders gathered from across the state to attend CFA’s Fall Assembly this past weekend. CFA Board of Directors also approved the dates for the upcoming Strike Authorization Vote (SAV), which will take place between October 26 through November 19.

“As the time to talk about a new contract begins, faculty are dissatisfied with lack of wage growth and uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage." - Golden Gate Xpress https://ow.ly/gIz65100jLV

This is your reminder that our Strike Authorization voting link is now live! Make sure to vote today: https://www.calfac.org/strike-authorization-vote/ #FundtheClassroomNotTheBoardroom

CFA members across the state are holding “Cost of Living is a Nightmare“ rallies next week to build our power and kick off the start of the Strike Authorization Vote (SAV), which runs from October 26 to November 19.

It’s official: Strike Authorization Vote dates are confirmed! Voting is electronic and can be done at any time from October 26 to November 19. Attend your campus action next week to vote! An electronic ballot will also be sent to CFA members via email soon. #FundTheClassroomNotTheBoardroom

“As artificial intelligence (AI) expands across industries, its rapid development and lack of oversight has raised concerns about privacy, misinformation, job displacement and questions about the ethical use of emerging technology." - University Times https://ow.ly/rE3R5100jJH

Today in San Jose, CFA, Teamsters, and CSUEU members held an informational picket outside a CSU Student Success Symposium where Chancellor Mildred García gave a keynote speech. If she really cared about student success, she would settle a fair contract with us.

“Traditionally limited to full-time faculty, academic freedom protections will now extend to librarians, postdocs and clinicians at Rutgers. But without accompanying job security, adjuncts could still be vulnerable." - Inside Higher Ed https://ow.ly/Im5b5100jB8

OUR STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE ARRIVES NEXT WEEK! CFA members will be receiving an electronic ballot in their email, but your CFA chapter will also be providing in-person opportunities to vote. NOW is the time to hold Chancellor García accountable!  #FundTheClassroomNotTheBoardroom

“‘I should have a quality education and if that means that my teachers need to have better quality of life to give me that better education, then that’s what I want,’ said Carlson, a student intern with SQE.” - The Orion https://ow.ly/8HAi50ZY6vG

The decisions made in this election will affect political conditions for faculty, students, and our communities for years to come. Here's our voter guide with the full list of endorsements: https://www.calfac.org/politics/endorsements/ #MakeYourVoteCount

“Although these proposed changes wouldn’t affect how tribal colleges and Native American–serving nontribal institutions are funded, experts warn that they put key social support services for Native people at risk.” - Inside Higher Ed https://ow.ly/iYC550ZY6r8

We support our union siblings SEIU Local 1000 They have had ENOUGH of the state's bad-faith bargaining. Now they are READY TO STRIKE! Over 96% of SEIU Local 1000 members voted to authorize #UnfairPracticeStrike tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 21. Register today: seiu1000.org/strike

“Like parents of wayward children, professors are tethering themselves to their students, in ways previously unimaginable, to steer them away from the temptations of AI.” - Chronicle of Higher Education https://ow.ly/FyaN50ZY6oH

We thank our members, CSU students, and legislative partners for advocating for these bills. We pledge to continue fighting for legislation that protect jobs, hold CSU management accountable, and protect the right to free speech. https://ow.ly/fWSa50ZYLle

Today it's #NoKings and no union busters! Starbucks Workers United has been fighting for a contract for years, so until Starbucks acts right, we're boycotting. #NoContractNoCoffee! seiu.co/NoKings

“California State University and a union representing academic advisors and career counselors reached a tentative agreement on [October 8] that will provide employees with an 8% salary increase over the next nine months.” - EdSource https://ow.ly/XBKK50ZY6iy

The billionaires want to control our elections and our lives, but in America we have #NoKings! Join us Saturday October 17th as we hit the streets to get the early vote out! seiu.co/NoKings26

“SF State officials are reporting their first enrollment increase in more than a decade this fall — a welcome change for the campus of nearly 21,000 students that has quietly lost more than a third of its undergraduate population since 2015.” - San Francisco Chronicle https://ow.ly/aXuX50ZY6fU

We have officially moved to factfinding in our contract bargaining process. Factfinding dates are set for November 2, 5, 6, 12, and 13. More information on the process and what is next: https://ow.ly/FuuZ50ZYec4 #FundTheClassroomNotTheBoardroom

“The investment in AI has come under criticism from some CSU faculty, and some students remain skeptical of the value of knowing how to use AI even as most are concerned the developing technology will threaten their chances of landing a job and keeping it.” - EdSource https://ow.ly/Wsr650ZVZax

“Lam cites a recent study of the MIT showing that since the mid-1980s, the student body grew 8 percent, the faculty grew about 9 percent, and the number of administrators increased by 189 percent.” - Chronicle of Higher Education https://ow.ly/wb6A50ZVZ4Q

And to end our Chicanx Latinx Heritage month, CFA elevates the radical life and spirit of Emma Tenayuca (1916-1999) who devoted her time to helping feed the families of jailed strikers as well as to holding daily open air public meetings about the strike. Que viva los sindicatos laborales!

California Becomes First State to Require Disclosure of Slavery Profits Via Assembly Bill 2599 https://ow.ly/b4lt50ZWyfq

“Both the California Faculty Association and the Cal State Student Association have asked for seats at the decision-making table as the CSU implements its AI Initiative — something that so far they say they have not been granted.” - The Sacramento Bee https://ow.ly/LP5050ZVZ0C

Our ancestors' prayers are our roots and we carry their stories everywhere we go. This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we remember the struggles and tragedies our Native communities have faced, as well as our achievements and celebrations.

“You see one student, and then you can’t see them again until four weeks later because your caseload is enormous,” said Dr. Ian Wallace, CFA Maritime member and counselor faculty. That’s not a counseling center. That’s a crisis center.” Read more: https://ow.ly/L9rF50ZWy3y

Ballots have dropped! Let’s make it count! Get your ballot, get informed on the candidates and propositions, and VOTE!!! Visit calfac.org for CFA voter guide. #VoteUnion

“I learned from Gonzalo that we need a union, and he opened our eyes regarding Faculty Merit Increases (FMIs), an unfair system for faculty raises.” https://www.calfac.org/cfa-latino-caucus-co-founder-reflects-on-his-work-as-an-organizer-and-public-intellectual/

“Students in Sac State’s ceramics department organized a silent protest, writing statements in chalk on the exterior of Kadema Hall. The protest was in response to Sac State administration pulling the funds previously set aside to renovate Kadema Hall.” - The State Hornet https://ow.ly/b0oy50ZVYY7

“The Associated Students Inc. resolution would provide support for the California Faculty Association if negotiations with the California State University system goes south and a strike ensues.” - Daily Collegian https://ow.ly/4wY550ZVYRt

CSU Union Coalition Rallygoers Prepared to Fight for a Fair Contract  www.calfac.org/csu-union-co...

“The settlement with the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection helps address the city’s longstanding concern that food delivery companies shortchange workers.” - NBC News https://ow.ly/505P50ZTBUm

“In Troop Movements, Tejasvi Nagaraja explains how this mobilization for world war—involving soldiers and defense workers—provided an opportunity for entangled experiences and alliances across race, class, and global concerns.” - Penn Press https://ow.ly/sP5J50ZTBQc

“’The mystery of Nolan Wells’s death, his family’s search for the truth, and the months-long silence from Mississippi authorities, has evoked, for many, the South’s shameful history of denying justice to Black families and their loved ones.’” - The New Yorker https://ow.ly/xgCb50ZTBNp

Join us this October to celebrate the history and invaluable contributions of our Filipino American community. We will be sharing some incredible faculty stories in the next weeks and how they are making a change in the higher education through their activism.

“The faculty union is critical of the compensation report because it didn’t consider the much higher cost of living in California compared to other states.” - CalMatters https://ow.ly/4Eir50ZTBJ5

“It was an attempt to address concerns that protest rules strengthened after sweeping demonstrations against the ongoing war in Gaza in 2024 had disproportionately targeted students of color." - The Sacramento Bee https://ow.ly/K6Eo50ZTBAs

Our future and collective power are on the ballot. It’s up to us to make sure our communities vote. You can pledge to vote for our CFA-endorsed propositions and candidates now. Please see our voter guide with the full list of endorsements: https://www.calfac.org/politics/endorsements/

It is absurd to claim that our salaries are “competitive” or comparable to those across the country who face significantly lower costs for housing and other basic goods. More: https://ow.ly/S4no50ZTHmk

CFA is deeply disappointed in the governor’s decision to veto Assembly Bill 2551. We thank our members, CSU students, and Assemblymember Elhawary for advocating for this bill and pledge to continue the fight to protect campus free speech and right to protest. Full statement on calfac.org

We are proud to announce that we met the goal for our CFA Solidarity Pledge, which closed last Friday, September 25. Thank you to all who signed the pledge and committed to fighting for the contract we deserve through these different steps. More: https://ow.ly/V0NJ50ZTClA

Have you registered to vote? Make a plan to vote - and vote early! To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day make sure to mail it at least 7 days in advance. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before November 3. For more, visit: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections #VoteUnion

“Newsom’s veto means a four-year battle to allow students without legal status to work at California’s public colleges wages on. This is the second time he vetoed such a bill to allow public colleges and universities to hire undocumented students.” CalMatters https://ow.ly/UbW250ZR77n

The legislation also allows for certain circumstances when community colleges can create bachelor’s degrees even if a nearby CSU campus has a similar program. That will be permitted if the CSU program has had a transfer acceptance rate of less than 75%...” -EdSource https://ow.ly/4gy250ZR74m

“’We’re talking about grant money,’ Andrew Jones, CFA Fresno President, said. ‘We’re talking about money for research. This is stuff that faculty are in the know about, and they should be in charge of how that money is handled." -The Fresno Bee https://ow.ly/47zr50ZR71u

Register for one of the two CFA Retirement webinars for Spring 2026 presented by CFA Retirement Specialist Jonathan Karpf on Tuesday, October 20 from 12 to 3:30 p.m. and on Wednesday, October 21 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Register for the webinar: https://ow.ly/T1Oh50ZREIp

Charges Dropped Against CSUN Student for Skateboarding Ignite New Push for Non-Police Conflict Resolution Pathways https://www.calfac.org/a-novel-approach-emerges-for-resolving-student-conflicts-outside-of-the-criminal-justice-system/

Member Explains Impacts One Year After End of Federal Grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions More: https://ow.ly/PIXw50ZREqM