The California Faculty Association (CFA) is a labor union for roughly 29,000 professors, librarians, lecturers, coaches, and other faculty professionals in the California State University system. ¹ Since 2019, CFA has been a local union of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) ^{2 3}

CFA aggressively promotes left-of-center sociopolitical principles throughout California’s state universities, encouraging its members to “intentionally center anti-racism and social justice — both lens and framework — in all that we do.” ^{1 4}

History

The California Faculty Association (CFA) is a labor union representing faculty of the California State University system. ¹ It claims roughly 29,000 professors, librarians, lecturers, coaches and other faculty professionals as members. ^{1 5}

Until 2019, the CFA was affiliated with the National Education Association and California Teachers Association. ³ That year, the CFA’s members voted to disaffiliate with the NEA after a contentious CTA leadership election reportedly widened rifts between K-12 educators and higher-education faculty. ³ The CFA then affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), becoming SEIU Local 1983. ^{2 3}

During an eight-month contract negotiation with the CSU system, the CFA called a strike on January 22, 2024. ⁶ The strike lasted just one day, after an agreement was reached between the two sides. While the union claimed victory, outside observers noted that the top-line five percent salary increase was notably lower than the 12 percent raise the union had been seeking. ^{6 7}

Advocacy

The California Faculty Association lists its key issues as “Anti-Racism and Social Justice;” academic freedom; addressing a claimed bias against “faculty who identify as women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color)” in student course evaluations; making California’s state universities tuition-free; expanding ethnic studies programs in the CSU system; and cutting university leadership and administrator pay and redistributing that funding to faculty members. ⁸

The CFA also promotes left-of-center views on environmental policy, and supports ending conventional fuel usage. ^{9 10}

It also supports mandatory non-COVID vaccinations for students in the California State University system. ¹¹

The CFA endorses candidates for elected office, and encourages its members to mobilize their families and friends through get-out-the-vote efforts. ¹²

Promotion of Left-Wing DEI Principles

The CFA describes itself as “an anti-racism, social justice union” and encourages its members to “intentionally center anti-racism and social justice—both lens and framework—in all that we do” and work diligently to promote those principles throughout the California State University system. ^{1 4} It operates a Council for Racial and Social Justice that “is committed to dismantling oppression based on Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status.”  ⁴

Anti-Israel Resolution

In April 2024, the CFA passed a resolution in support of Palestinians and denouncing Israel in the ongoing conflict between the two nations, accusing Israel of genocide, apartheid, war crimes, and other atrocities, arguing that Israel “does not enjoy the right to self defense.” ¹³ It called for the California State University system to allow pro-Palestinian protestors to create “sanctuary spaces” outside the university’s control for encampments and other protests, as well as undertake a number of other pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli actions. ¹³

The resolution tied the conflict between Israel and Palestine to the CFA’s broader efforts to oppose what it saw as racism in all its manifestations, “including but not limited to white supremacy and Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Orientalism, antisemitism, anti-Blackness, anti-Asian racism, anti-Arab racism, anti-Latinx racism, misogyny, transphobia, and homophobia, and hostility to Palestine and to other indigenous peoples.” In addition, the resolution said, “Struggle against racism in all its manifestations must also involve confronting hetero-patriarchy, gendered violence, and ableism.” ¹³

Some CFA members publicly resigned from the union in protest of the resolution, saying that the CFA was not representing or supporting Jewish faculty members or students. ¹⁴

1. California Faculty Association. Accessed June 17, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/.
2. “About CFA.” California Faculty Association, January 31, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/about-cfa/
3. Freedberg, Louis. “California Teachers Association Loses Thousands of Members after Faculty Association Decides to ‘Disaffiliate.’” EdSource, August 1, 2019. https://edsource.org/2019/california-teachers-association-loses-thousands-of-members-after-faculty-association-decides-to-disaffiliate/615683
4. “Council for Racial & Social Justice.” California Faculty Association, June 13, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/council-for-racial-social-justice/.
5. “President’s Message.” California Faculty Association, January 12, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/presidents-message/.
6. Hatfield, Michelle. “Tentative Agreement Reached Ending CFA Members’ Historic Systemwide Strike.” California Faculty Association, January 25, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/tentative-agreement-reached-ending-cfa-members-historic-systemwide-strike/.
7. Quinn, Ryan. “Why Did the Cal State Strike End after Just One Day?” Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs, January 26, 2024. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/labor-unionization/2024/01/26/why-did-cal-state-strike-end-after-just-one-day.
8. “Issues.” California Faculty Association. Accessed June 17, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/issues/.
9. “California Teachers and State Workers Are Calling on Our Largest Public Pension Funds to Divest  from Fossil Fuels.” X (formerly Twitter), June 16, 2024. https://x.com/CFA_United/status/1802473752208232885.
10. Singh, Preetina. “Faculty Feature: Environmental Justice Is a Social Justice Issue.” California Faculty Association, May 2, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/environmental-justice-is-a-social-justice-issue/
11. Singh, Preetina. “Win on Non-COVID Vaccine Requirements for Students.” California Faculty Association, February 7, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/win-on-non-covid-vaccine-requirements-for-students/.
12. Singh, Preetina. “CFA-Endorsed Candidates Win in Key Senate, Assembly Races.” California Faculty Association, May 1, 2024. https://www.calfac.org/cfa-endorsed-candidates-win-in-key-senate-assembly-races/.
13. “RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT PALESTINIANS AND THEIR ALLIES IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY.” California Faculty Association, April 2024. https://www.calfac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/CFA-SFSU-PAM-Palestine-Resolution-2023.pdf.
14. Yip, Micah. “Multiple California Faculty Association Members Resign over Union’s Ceasefire Resolution.” The State Hornet, May 8, 2024. https://statehornet.com/2024/05/cfa-resignations-palestine-resolution-sac-state/.