California faculty at largest US university system launch strike for better pay

Faculty at California State University, the largest public university system in the U.S., will hold a series of four one-day strikes starting Monday across four campuses to demand higher pay and more parental leave for thousands of professors, librarians, coaches and other workers.

The strikes at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; San Francisco State University; California State University, Los Angeles; and California State University, Sacramento are the latest push by the California Faculty Association to fight for better pay and benefits for the roughly 29,000 workers the union represents.

The union is seeking a 12% salary raise and an increase in parental leave from six weeks to a full semester. They also want more manageable workloads for faculty, better access to breastfeeding stations and more gender-inclusive restrooms.

Anne Luna, president of the faculty union’s Sacramento chapter, said these workers need a boost in pay and benefits at a time when the cost of rent, groceries, child care and other necessities have gone up in recent years.