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VOL. 12,
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CSU to give faculty, librarians, coaches, counselors a 5% pay hike
Victor Vener, Cal Phil and Pasadena POPS founder, dies at 78
By City News Service
By Staff
| Photo courtesy of André Vener
P Cal Poly Pomona campus. | Photo by Kenny Korn CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED
T
he California State University announced Tuesday that it will give all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches a salary increase of 5%, which they say would conclude contract negotiations. The decision was made after the latest round of negotiations with the California Faculty Association failed to yield an agreement that would provide faculty salary increases while still allowing the CSU to best serve students within the limits of its resources, according to the CSU. Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses -- includ-
ing layoffs -- that CSU said would have jeopardized its educational mission, the university system said. CFA representatives did not immediately return calls for comment. In addition to the general salary increase, CSU officials said they will be increasing department chairperson pay and allowing for modest parking fee increases. "With this action, we will ensure that welldeserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible," Leora Freedman, CSU's vice chancellor for human resources, said in a statement. "We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option." The 5% salary increase
is consistent with agreements the CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions, according to the university. "Our overriding responsibility is to manage a systemwide budget in a fiscally sustainable manner," Freedman said. "We are committed to paying fair, competitive salaries and benefits for our hard-working faculty members, who are delivering instruction to our students every day and are the cornerstone of our university system. But we must also operate within our means to protect the longterm success and stability of the university, our students and our faculty." The CSU said that without a change in bargaining position by the CFA, the pay raise announcement
concludes bargaining on their contract re-opener. "CSU and CFA can now begin successor bargaining on the full contract," according to the CSU, which said it "remains committed to the collective bargaining process." Last month, two unions representing faculty and other CSU employees announced a week-long strike across all campuses in late January. Teamsters Local 2010, which represents more than 17,000 clerical, administrative and skilled trade workers in the University of California and CSU systems, called for the strike following what they say was the CSU system's "repeated refusal to bargain in good faith and treat workers with respect."
asadena lost one of its greats on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, when conductor Victor Vener passed away at the age of 78. A Pasadena native, Vener took an entrepreneurial approach to music, founding numerous high-profile musical institutions and concert series throughout the region, including the California Philharmonic, Pasadena POPS, Chamber Orchestra of Pasadena and Burbank Symphony. A pioneer in creating outdoor concerts, Vener established music venues in local destinations including Santa Anita Race Track, The Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, Rose Bowl, Burbank’s Starlight Bowl, Pasadena’s Ritz-Carlton and Hilton Hotels and the steps of Pasadena City Hall. Vener’s efforts brought work to thousands of AFM Local 47 musicians throughout his 50-year career leading ensembles throughout the Southland. His robust organizations involved their communities deeply, bringing together well over 100,000 audience members, 10,000 donors and supporters and thousands of volunteers, as well as community leaders from across the spectrum and family and friends who helped him realize his vision of bringing live performances of great music to a wide audience. Vener’s most recent orchestra, the California Philharmonic, was the first non-resident ensemble to program subscription series concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, beginning in 2003. Cal Phil performed there every summer through 2019. Cal Phil also was the first ensemble to program a subscription concert series at the newly reopened Ambassador Auditorium. Other notable locations Cal Phil performed at included the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Known for speaking to the audience throughout his concerts, a way of presenting music which he pioneered on the West Coast, Vener attracted thousands of devoted See Victor Vener Page 14