I must warn you that the bargaining crisis is quite real. CFA is not crying wolf. When Chancellor Reed came to the CSU from Florida, we knew he was a tough customer. He is astute politically and uses his connections effectively. Faculty have the primary responsibility to teach and create and have the academic expertise to understand education and scholarship at their core.
Administrators have their own expertise and have legal authority to oversee the system.
Historically, great universities have thrived where administrators did their jobs well and worked respectfully with the faculty to support quality teaching, research, scholarship, community service and academic freedom. Labor relations in higher education do not presuppose perpetual conflict. Yet collective bargaining recognizes that differences of perspective and interest will emerge between administrators or Trustees and the faculty or staff and that negotiation is the most sensible way to reconcile differences so the system can move forward constructively. In our two earlier bargaining experiences with Chancellor Reed, the CSU administration refused to resolve issues in a fair way and took the extreme action of unilaterally imposing contract provisions. He has shown no interest in reconciliation or collaboration with the faculty, staff or their unions.