CSUN Faculty Senate

November 2006

CFA Report

1. SSI/FMI grievance settlement.

In the last two weeks the CSU Chancellors Office finally agreed to abide by a ruling on a CFA grievance. The CFA grievance was initiated to help restore lost SSI’s inappropriately debited to faculty salary histories during the FMI program. Faculty members are strongly encouraged to read the letter sent to them by the CSUN Faculty Affairs office and respond appropriately and if at all possible as quickly as they can. If any faculty member believes they were shorted an SSI during the time of the FMI program and did not receive a letter last week, they should contact the CSUN Faculty Affairs office immediately.

2. Faculty salary and the CSU.

Recent CSU and CSUN written and oral communications about faculty salary comparisons seem to indicate that any CPEC comparisons of faculty salary are problematic and further seem to suggest that CSUN faculty are paid appropriately. The CSUN chapter of CFA disagrees and argues that:

  • Comparisons to the CPEC metric are an appropriate and historic fact. Given this fact, CSU faculty members in general and CSUN faculty in particular,are underpaid when compared to a like group of institutions (the CPEC comparison group) and across the many disciplines on campus.
  • Additionally, comparing CSUN salaries to like CSU’s (for example Fullerton) show significant differentials lending further evidence that CSUN faculty members, like other CSU faculty members, are underpaid.
  • The CSU Board of Trustees recently made a pledge to close the CPEC gap in salaries, a direct institutional recognition of the validity of the CPEC comparison and in direct contrast to the aforementioned communications to the contrary by CSU system wide and CSUN campus administrators.

One reason for the comprehensive CFA proposal on salary currently on the table in bargaining is the very real issues of:

  • Low comparison wages across disciplines noted above coupled with extremely high costs of living in communities across California, especially Northridge and surrounding areas.
  • Salary compression for senior faculty members and increasingly junior faculty as well.
  • Salary inversion for all ranks and across many disciplines.

These facts argue for a comprehensive solution to the real issues of suppressed wages and the comparison of the two proposals (CSU and CFA salary proposal comparisons – see handout on back table) demonstrate that the CFA salary solution is the best way to addressthese very real issues in a more comprehensive and realistic manner.

3. Bargaining update.

  • Mediation meetings between the CSU and CFA begin next week and are scheduled throughout November and into very early December.
  • The CFA contract bargaining team has asked for, and received, a unanimous vote from the CFA Fall Assembly for the right to seek a job action vote if and when that time becomes necessary. The best estimate of that action would be Spring 2007 when, and if, the state of Californiamandated processes between the CFA and CSU fail to provide a settlement.
  • As of now the CFA leadership is asking faculty to please join other faculty members on November 15, 2006 at the Chancellors Office to show solidarity and to inform the CSU Chancellor, CSU Board of Trustees, assembled CSU campus Presidents and other assembled guests, that a new contract, including a comprehensive salary proposal, is needed and needed now.

To RSVP attendance at this event please contact your

CSUN CFA office at 818.677.5919 or .