Protesters seek higher faculty salaries, lower tuition

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 16, 2006 12:46 AM PST ∞

LONG BEACH -- Nearly 1,000 professors and students from across the state lobbied for higher faculty salaries and lower tuition Wednesday morning by chanting and banging on the windows outside the monthly meeting of the California State University governing board.

The loud and boisterous group included roughly 40 professors and 25 students from Cal State San Marcos, most of whom traveled the 90 miles to Long Beach in a chartered bus that left San Marcos at 6:45 a.m.

Professors were expressing frustration that an impasse in contract negotiations has left them without a significant pay increase for 18 months, while students were worried that a new budget proposal for the 23-campus system includes a possible 10 percent tuition hike for 2007-08.

Students and professors said they were angry that CSU executives have received much larger pay raises than the rank and file in recent years, and that those executives are eligible for some special perks that have become controversial this fall.

The demonstration, organized by the labor union representing the 23,000 professors who teach in the CSU system, made a particular target of Chancellor Charles Reed.

Using bullhorns and megaphones, the protesters chanted slogans such as "Reed, Reed, stop the greed, give the people what they need" and "what does Reed have to hide, executive deals made inside."

The noise and chaos outside the Dumke Auditorium at CSU headquarters brought the meeting to a temporary halt multiple times. When a trustee complained that they couldn't hear Reed during a presentation on study-abroad programs, the chancellor replied that he was doing the best he could to talk over the persistent noise from outside.

Shortly after the meeting, the CSU public affairs office issued a statement stressing that officials are working hard to reach a labor agreement with professors. The statement notes that a recent contract offer would bring average annual pay for full-time professors to $106,000 per year.

Part-time professors are paid based on a different formula.

Janet Powell, president of the San Marcos chapter of the CSU faculty union, agreed that the compensation being offered is not unreasonable, but she explained that the offer makes pay increases in 2008 through 2010 contingent on increases in state funding for the CSU. The union, representing the 225 full-time professors at Cal State San Marcos, also wants reduced workloads.

Powell and the union have repeatedly complained about 13.7 percent raises awarded to campus executives this year and during each of the next three years, while professors have been offered raises of 4 percent per year.

CSU officials have said they need to increase executive pay more rapidly to compete with universities in other states that pay their executives more.

The two sides are currently in mediation on the latest administration proposal. Powell said it is possible that work stoppages could occur as early as February if no progress is made.

The carefully planned rally had been in the works for several weeks, Powell said. Powell and colleague David Avalos gave professors and students a pep talk on the trip north, and passed out a sheet full of catchy slogans.

The crew from San Marcos was joined by about two dozen other bus loads from CSU campuses across the state. Some professors and students also flew in from the Bay Area and Humboldt, according to Avalos.

The protesters were kept out of the meeting by dozens of extra police and security officers. The union received permits to protest outside the meeting and behind the auditorium, Powell said.

On the ride home, Powell declared the event a major success.

"Everyone I talked to was amazed at how many people came out and how angry professors are," Powell said. "People saw that the anger wasn't just on their campus, and that the people protesting were not radicals or nutty people, but professionals who deserve better pay."

Marisol Flores, a graduate student at Cal State San Marcos, said she traveled to Long Beach because she doesn't want students taking classes from overworked and underpaid professors.

"It was inspiring to see people come together for a common cause," Flores said.

Andrew Del Mundo, a freshman majoring in business, said he was motivated by rising tuition and executive perks.

"I'm fine with benefits, but perks are extra and they should be a luxury," said Del Mundo. "That is not something my tuition should be paying for."

Reed and the board have come under fire this fall for a special "transition benefit" available only to top-level CSU administrators. Departing executives get one year of extra pay, even if they get a job elsewhere.

The board added restrictions to the transition benefit on Wednesday, but they will only apply to executives hired in the future. Union officials have called the changes hollow because all current executives would be "grandfathered in."

Professors and students have also objected to a decision by the board to leave the 10 percent tuition hike for 2007-08 up to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature.

A proposed budget adopted Wednesday by the board assumes that the state will buy out $65.2 million in fee increases. If the increases are not covered by the state, they will be passed on to students.

-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 761-4410 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.

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