Currently in a bargaining cycle, the California Faculty Association is requesting a cost of living adjustment to recognize inflation, alongside a 2% increase each year from the CSU Chancellor’s Office.
This request echoes that which the CFA has been voicing since the 2024-25 school year — the demand to meet the rising cost of living in California for CSU faculty. The Chancellor’s Office took a $144 million zero-interest, one-time state loan in October 2025 to mitigate state budget cuts, offering faculty a one-time 3% bonus.
“To put that in perspective, if you make $100,000 — which most faculty members do not make $100,000 — you get a one-time check of $3,000 before taxes, ” said Treasurer and Bargaining Representative for Cal State Fullerton’s CFA chapter Christina Barbieri. “So what we’ve asked for is a cost of living adjustment that recognizes inflation plus 2% each year.”
The CFA’s request comes on the heels of the CSU Board of Trustees voting on Nov. 19 to approve a substantial pay raise for system administrators. Chancellors, vice chancellors and presidents will be receiving anywhere from a 5% to 20% increase in pay, based on performance, starting July 2026.
Going into effect immediately after its approval, this policy eliminated salary caps for chancellors, vice chancellors and presidents. Presidents currently make anywhere from $370,000 to over $530,000 in base salary, with the compensation increase slating for this range to encompass proposed a salary north of $600,000.
According to the CSU, the executive salary increases will be supported by a mix of general and non-general funding.
“Specifically, deferred compensation (DC) and incentives will be funded through non-state, non-tuition and non-student funds,” wrote the CSU in a Q&A regarding the executives’ pay increase.
Chancellor Mildred Garcia came into her position in Oct. 2023 with a $795,000 base salary, a 27% increase from her predecessor’s.
This is roughly 112% percent more than Governor Gavin Newsom, who has a base salary of $224,020.
Along with base pay, CSU presidents either received provided housing or an allowance of $60,000 to $80,000 to be allotted towards housing. CSU executives also receive a monthly $1,000 auto allowance.
According to CFA, the lowest-paid full-time lecturer makes “just over $66,000 a year, but most lecturers are not full-time and make less than half that amount.”
The annual cost of living in California was $64,835 as of 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The cost of living in Orange County specifically is 60% higher than the national average.
“They are not offering faculty any increases in salary or base pay, which means we have not received a raise in years,” said President of CSUF’s CFA chapter Christina Ceisel. “We do not get regular cost of living adjustments.”
The CFA’s request and CSU executive’s pay increase are both concurrent with CSU substantially increasing class sizes, a struggle professors have voiced on the floor of the Academic Senate last semester.
“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,” said Ava Estrada, an intern for Students for Quality Education. “Our faculty being overworked and underpaid impacts us.”
The next bargaining meeting is set for Jan. 29th.