CSU Faculty Union Opens Strike Authorization Vote Through Nov. 19

The California Faculty Association (CFA) is asking its 29,000 members across the California State University (CSU) system to authorize a strike in balloting running from Monday, Oct. 26 through Nov. 19, 2026, as contract negotiations remain stalled, according to KALW 91.7.

CFA declared a bargaining impasse this summer after 16 months of negotiations with CSU management, with the union’s president stating that university officials negotiating with the union have “not been honest agents.”

Bargaining Demands Over Pay, Workloads, and AI Protections

According to KALW and EdSource, a majority vote in favor of the strike authorization between Oct. 26 and Nov. 19 would empower CFA leadership to call a strike. The union—which represents 29,000 professors and other university employees—is seeking salary increases, changes to faculty workloads, and contract protections related to the use of artificial intelligence.

Tentative Deals Reached With Three Other CSU Unions

While talks with the faculty union remain at an impasse, the CSU system has reached tentative agreements in recent weeks with three other labor unions:

• Statewide University Police Association
• United Auto Workers Local 4123
• Academic Professionals of California

Together, those three tentative agreements cover 14,000 CSU employees and include an 8% salary increase over two years alongside one-time raises negotiated by each bargaining unit, pending ratification by union members and approval by the CSU Board of Trustees.