SAN FRANCISCO — The union that represents California State University faculty said Monday it is preparing for a five-day strike at the system's 23 campuses, by far the largest walkout since professors and instructors won collective bargaining rights in the early 1980s.
The California Faculty Association's board of directors voted Friday night to schedule a strike for April 13-15 and April 18-19, unless Cal State administrators before then increase the size of the pay raises the union's 26,000 members will receive this school year, CFA president Jennifer Eagan said.
The strike holds the potential to bring the campuses to a virtual standstill. The association represents counselors, librarians and coaches, as well as faculty members who would cancel classes and skip scheduled office hours to walk picket lines, Eagan said.
"The strike would be a historic strike," Eagan said. "If it happens, it will impact the CSU for a very long time."