We have said all along that “We don't want to strike, but we will.”  The CSU administration made a promise in their March 25th announcement to use the Fact-finders recommendation as the framework for contact settlement. As CFA has indicated, while we are cautiously optimistic, two years of experience tell us that we must move forward with our planning for a strike. We must demonstrate our resolve to the chancellor, the governor and our legislators. This strike information sheet is designed to provide you with general information about the strike as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
 
On the day of the strike, you should NOT report for work.  Instead, honor and support the picket line.  Students are encouraged to honor the picket line and join faculty on the picket line.  Faculty working conditions ARE student learning conditions.  This strike is about faculty and student issues – it’s about quality education.

On the days of the strike we will shut the campus down. That means that there will be no business as usual at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

By next week you will receive detailed information about parking and check-in for the two day strike.  Faculty arriving to campus to picket are encouraged to seek street parking and to car pool.  Staff, who are not taking a vacation day, are encouraged to seek street parking and to car pool. Students arriving to campus to join the picket line in solidarity with faculty are encouraged to seek street parking and car pool.  A Union-controlled parking lot will be available.

On the day of the strike you should report to the designated registration table, pick up a picket sign and work assignment and report to a picket captain at your assigned entrance.  

Our Right to Strike:

On Sunday March 25th CFA agreed to extend our contract until April 6th. If the Chancellor fails to reach an agreement that uses the Fact-finder’s report as a framework, the contract extension will end. When the contract expires all Unit 3 Faculty (tenure track, lecturer, librarians, counselors and coaches) will have the legal right to strike.

Our Right to Picket:

The picket line is the single most visible strike activity. Picketing creates an atmosphere of solidarity and strength and communicates our resolve and commitment to the CSU Chancellor, the Board of Trustees and to the general public.  Furthermore, the presence of a picket line discourages business as usual.

No permit is required for you to picket on a public sidewalk or on other public property.  The U.S Supreme Court has held that a peaceful picketing which is designed to inform and persuade the public is within the area of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution.


United We Stand, Divided We Fall

No matter how strong the Chancellor and administration feel about their position, there is only one thing that can defeat the strike -- disinterest or lack of support of faculty for one another.  A united faculty can withstand all adversity. Never is the saying.  "United we stand - divided we fall" as meaningful as during a strike.

Management will try to weaken the faculty’s resolve by instilling fear, creating anxiety, and encouraging faculty to cross the picket line.


Rumor Control

Management may also try to demoralize faculty before the strike by suggesting that a strike will be ineffective in achieving their goals at the bargaining table and will diminish the stature of the faculty, harm students, and the community.  The fact is that we are striking to protect faculty and students who continue to suffer under this administration.  Management will say that the strike is not about students or education, but just about money.  We need to remember that our ability to provide quality education to our students depends on our success at recruiting and retaining our faculty. We must remember that faculty working conditions ARE student learning conditions.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Should people call in sick the day of the strike?

No.  You should not call in sick unless you are really ill. If you call in sick and then show up on the picket line you are committing fraud.


Should I take a personal holiday?

No.  It is unlikely that in a strike situation the administration will give the okay to taking a personal holiday.


Do I have to report my absence?

A strike is not an "absence" as that word is used in the contract and as it would apply under statute.  Therefore there is no reporting requirement that is legitimate.  Since a strike is not an "absence" there is no need to report it on a form.  CFA has an obligation to notify CSU upon commencement of strike activity.  No individual unit member has any such reporting obligation.


Will people who are on strike be docked pay for the day? For both days?

We must anticipate that everyone who is on strike will have his/her pay docked for two days. In regard to this, the question can then be asked "how will the administration know who is on strike in order to engage in pay docks?"  Good question --- the Administration will have to figure that one out itself. Nevertheless, we should all expect and plan that our pay will be docked.

 

Should a newly hired faculty member or lecturer faculty member come to work or honor the picket line?

California’s public employee labor law protects all concerted activity, including strikes. New hires are to be covered by the contract and therefore should honor the picket line.  NO faculty member should cross the picket line as a strikebreaker under any circumstances.

 

I am concerned about my student’s education and progress to their degree.  How do I make sure that students are not hurt by the strike?

BEFORE the strike talk with students about the issues, make the connection between our specific concerns during this negotiation and the larger issue of the future of the CSU and the leadership of the Chancellor and BOT:  fee increases, increased class sizes, fewer course offerings, limited student support, facilities, etc.  You can prepare handouts or notes to summarize content that is missed in the same manner as you would cover content that is missed as a result of illness.

 

I am concerned about safety while I am on the picket line.  Will there be enough room to picket?  Will faculty be asked to engage in civil disobedience?  What if I am not comfortable with that?

Each picket line will have a picket captain who is responsible for maintaining order.  The Faculty Strike Organizing Committee has crafted a strike plan that ensures the safety of all participants.

 

Are we really closing the campus or marching around the administration building?

We are closing down the campus. We will be picketing at every entrance to the campus. More details will be provided when you come to campus for the picket line.

 

What if administration is taking pictures or recording the names of faculty on the picket line?

Legal observers will be on duty to make sure that there are no violations of our rights.  CFA will vigorously defend anyone who is targeted for retribution because they participated in the legally protected activity.

 

What if I am traveling on the days that we are striking?

Since we are engaging in a rolling strike you will be able to help other campuses in the Los Angeles area by joining their picket line in coming weeks.

 

Can I strike only one of the two days?

No, that would be an “intermittent” strike and we are not engaging in an intermittent strike. If you strike, you are on strike for the entire two days.