Vote by Leaders of Cal State Union Increases Threat of Strike

Leaders of the union representing 20,000 professors, librarians, coaches and other employees at the 22-campus California State University system voted unanimously Sunday to authorize a strike in response to what labor officials said was an impasse in contract negotiations.

“If the administration doesn’t begin bargaining seriously, it’s unfortunately going to begin to happen,” said Jim Smith, spokesman for the California Faculty Assn. “The question is when? The vote today gives campuses the authority to initiate campus walkouts.”

A Cal State spokesman said administrators had anticipated that the union might take such action.

“It’s a concern, but we hope that the majority of the faculty will . . . not abandon the responsibility of students and we’ve heard reports from students that many rank-and-file faculty are not in favor of this kind of a job action,” CSU spokesman Ken Swisher said.

The employees have been working without a contract since an extension of a 1995 contract expired March 16.

Administrators and the union have been negotiating since February 1998. Both sides reached an agreement in January, but union members voted it down, primarily because of disagreement over how merit pay was to be awarded.

Two weeks ago, CSU’s collective bargaining committee voted for a 2.5% salary increase and boosted the proportion of money used for merit-based raises in absence of a new contract. The union responded with a threat of strikes.