Professors stage protest

By Ana Tintocalis, On-Line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, September 22, 1998

Frustration continues to grow among California Faculty Association members as the board of trustees of the California State University voted last week to raise the salaries of the CSU campus presidents and CSU system officers by 10 percent.

In reaction to the raises, CSU professors staged a silent protest at a trustees' meeting last Wednesday when the proposed salary increases were voted on.

"As we hold this silent vigil, the trustees will vote to increase the pay of the CSU presidents by 10 percent, on top of substantial pay raises the presidents received last year," said statewide CFA president Terry Jones. "This action flies in the face of the fact that they still do not have a plan in place to close the faculty salary gap."

In addition to the raise, the board of trustees also granted each campus president the option of receiving a $750 automobile allowance instead of using a state car for business travel.

"It just shows us the administration values what the president does more than what the faculty does," said Hamdi Bilici, president of the Long Beach Chapter of the CFA.

The news comes at a time when the CFA is desperately trying to work out a new contract with the CSU that would give faculty members a six percent raise, as well as other benefits.

"It's an issue of equity," Bilici said. "Either give everyone a raise, or don't do it at all."

This is not the first time CSU presidents and system officers have seen an increase in pay. They received a 10 percent raise last year.

The salary increases are part of a package approved by the CSU administration that is designed to increase CSU presidents and system officers' salary by 30 percent over three years. This year's increase is the second, 10 percent installment of the package.

According to the California Post Secondary Education Commission, faculty salaries within the CSU are 11 percent lower than 20 other universities. CFA officials and members say that even their requested six percent raise is not enough to close that gap.

"I think no one should get a raise until the faculty has negotiated a fair contract," said Lisa Belasanti, a CFA organizer. "The timing of the 10 percent raise is just inappropriate."

"No very highly-paid university president has ever delivered a high-quality education to a student in our classrooms. It is the faculty who do that," Jones said. "The trustees' decision treats the CSU faculty as second-class citizens in academia."

New contract negotiations between the CSU and the CFA are expected to resume Oct. 2.