The Associated Students Board of Directors approved a resolution to stand in solidarity with the California Faculty Association (CFA) in its potential strike. The A.S. Board represents over 35,000 students at San José State, according to its website.
A.S. President Sarab Multani said the board is moving forward with this resolution in the hopes of boosting morale across the university.
“Simply put, if we want higher education to thrive and to continue being a career option for a lot of our students, we need more resources,” Multani said. “I'm quite literally praying for an agreement to be made.”
Multani said the A.S Board stands with faculty in their demands for rights from the California State University.
“It's really expensive to live here,” Multani said. “They deserve a fair salary, living here especially with all the (educational) experience that they have.”
Estevan Guzman, A.S director of Legislative Affairs, said he has worked closely with the local chapter of the CFA to advocate for fair wages and working conditions.
“I believe that they have the students’ interest in their minds,” Guzman said. “They believe in our students, they want what's best for us and it's just an unfortunate reality that they are getting paid as low as they are.”
Its members demand a 12% pay raise in order to stay ahead of inflation, along with pay equity that would raise the floor for the lowest-paid faculty, according to a website from CFA.
Katelyn Gambarin, director of Internal Affairs for A.S., said the allotted time of maternity leave the faculty is given needs to be negotiated with the CSU.
“To only give 30 days of paternal leave is absolutely devastating,” Gambarin said. “You know that's not anytime at all raising a kid. To see (faculty) only have 30 days to do that before they have to return to work is asking way too much.”
The CFA is also calling for the creation of safe lactation spaces for working parents at the university, according to a Nov. 2023 Spartan Daily reporting.
Multani said this alliance between the CFA and the A.S. Board will bring in more resources that will benefit SJSU students, such as more psychological services on campus.
“We are a top priority for them as well and they are seeking resources for us as well through this strike,” Multani said. “They do want more increased psychological services for us as well. I think supporting CFA (internally), we'll get both of our needs met.”
The union proposed a 1,000 to 15,000 student to counselor ratio, according to a Aug. 2023 Spartan Daily article.
If the CFA and the CSU are unable to come to an agreement, the strike will move forward. This strike will affect not only faculty members, but also students on campus, according to a Nov. 2023 previous Spartan Daily reporting.
“That will most likely mean most of your classes will go off track,” Guzman said. “There's a good chance that this will happen during finals.”
Although the possible strike will affect students, Guzman said that it’s important for students to learn about the CFA and to acknowledge that they are not working against students.
“I think (the) main goal is that we market this and show them our (students) that this is the reality,” Guzman said. “They (CFA) are trying to work with us. They're trying to support us and we're just trying to give them the support back.”
