Faculty at several CSU campuses holding daylong strikes in protest of low wages 

The faculty union of the California State University system is planning to hold one-day strikes at four campuses statewide this week, with workers citing better pay as the main reason for the walkout. 

Faculty at Cal Poly-Pomona will walk off the job on Monday, followed by faculty at San Francisco State, Cal State-Los Angeles and Sacramento State on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. 

Employees are looking for a 12 percent raise to keep up with inflation, and union officials say that even though the strikes fall during a very important time of the school year, students are on their side. 

“The timing is also significant as the one-day strikes fall about a week before the final exam period when students are cramming in a high state of anxiety over their grades,” union officials said in a release. “The union maintains that it has the support of many students.” 

In addition to the wage increase, the union also wants the Cal State system to expand parental leave, provide more lactation rooms and add more unionized mental health workers for students. 

According to reports, Cal State has said it simply cannot afford the wage hike that faculty members are asking for, noting that they offered a 15 percent wage increase over a three-year period. 

Union members, meanwhile, argue that the four schools with planned walkouts this week have a combined population of about 110,000 students and that the tuition hikes set to take effect next year at all 23 Cal State campuses could help pay for their wage increases. 

The strike was authorized by 95 percent of voting members of the California Faculty Association in late October.

A smaller union of around 1,100 maintenance and electrical workers plans to strike next week, affecting 22 campuses.