Teamsters Local 2010, representing 1,100 skilled trades workers at the California State University system, said negotiations with CSU were continuing Friday in hopes of hammering out a contract and averting next week's planned five-day strike.
Key articles that remain under contention with CSU include cost-of-living raises and regular salary step raises to move workers through their wage scale, the union said.
CSU officials appearing at a press conference Friday did not indicate a resolution was near. A Teamsters spokesperson said contract talks with the university system carried on late into the night Thursday and were continuing Friday.
"For more than a year, CSU Teamsters have been fighting for a fair contract for skilled trades workers that addresses decades of stagnant wages, reinstates a salary step structure, and values the hard work Teamsters do to keep campuses running," said Jason Rabinowitz, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 2010.
"With our strike looming, CSU agreed to return to the table this week after weeks of refusing to meet," Rabinowitz said. "Our team is working hard in negotiations to achieve the fair contract we deserve. We have shown CSU our strength during our previous strikes, and our members are prepared to strike again next week if an agreement is not reached."
The strike, planned for Monday through Jan. 26, also marks the first week of instruction for the spring semester at many CSU campuses. The California Faculty Association, the union representing 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across the 23-campus CSU system, said plans for its work stoppage remain unchanged.
CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith said Friday that CSU — the largest public university system in the country — is prepared for the strike, and working to ensure the fewest possible disruptions for students.
"The CSU respects the rights of CFA to engage in strike activity and takes seriously any such planned union action," she said. "CSU will continue to meet its educational commitment to students. All CSU campuses will remain open during a strike to serve students and have contingency plans in place to maintain university operations. Our hope is to minimize any disruptions and that the strike poses no hardship on our students."
If an agreement with CSU Teamsters is not reached, the union said it would withhold labor across all 22 Teamster-represented campuses, plus the Office of the Chancellor, next week.
