Strike heats up

Over 200 picketers crashed the opening ceremonies of the seventh annual LINKS conference in Sacramento on Thursday.

Faculty members from over half a dozen California State University campuses joined together with members of the California State Employees Association and the Service Employee International Union to protest the appearance of CSU Chancellor Charles Reed at the four-day conference.

The picketers carried signs reading “No More Merit Pay” and “Charles Reed Has Got To Go,” during three hours of protests outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel, host of the conference.

A wide variety of topics was scheduled for discussion and debate at the LINKS conference, which brings together elected officials, policy specialists and campus administrators in order to discuss the strengthening of ties between state government and public universities.

“Faculty are all for strengthening the ties between the governments and universities,” said Susan Meisenhelder, the recently elected California Faculty Association president and CSU San Bernardino professor.

“The reason why we are out here tonight is due to the fact that Charles Reed has not done a sufficient job at strengthening the ties between the campuses and their faculties,” said Meisenhelder.

The picketers were also protesting the contract that was imposed by the CSU Board of Trustees and Chancellor Reed on March 17. The California Faculty Association has declared a state of strike between professors and Reed since the contract was imposed.

Elizabeth Moulds, CSU Sacramento chief of staff and organizer of the LINKS conference, had mixed emotions about the presence of the protesters.

“I am certainly happy to see the faculty practicing their first amendment rights, but I am also disappointed that it had to happen at such an important event,” said Moulds.

Thursday’s demonstration marks the first time since the onset of the strike that multiple campuses have participated together in a single event.

Faculty from several northern California campuses, including CSU Chico, Humboldt State University, CSU Sacramento and San Francisco State University, were joined by faculty from as far south as CSU Fresno and CSU San Bernardino.

“We plan to keep rolling right over Chancellor Reed,” said Meisenhelder. “We intend to accomplish that by having more events of this magnitude in the near future in the hopes of raising awareness of the crisis in the CSU system.”