Opinion: Solidarity is a sustainable resource when CSU, faculty meet on common ground

FOLLOWING THE IN-PROGRESS tentative agreement between the CFA and CSU administrators, faculty are breathing sighs of relief to be back to their jobs. Many of us, like myself, voted to strike and would much rather be in the classroom than on the picket line. As educators, we are committed to our schools and our students. Many, if not most of us, chose to be employees of a regional public university because we support broad access to knowledge. 

The public regional system has relied on people having intergenerational wealth, spousal and/or other income streams to “make it” in the Bay Area. I was raised in a single parent home. For the most part, our household was sad. My mom commuted long distances to work and she was paid a salary that made it difficult to have purchasing power. Eating at Sonic, we would get the cheeseburger, but not the chicken sandwich. I witnessed up close the class divide as I had a relative who had married into money. I remember the feeling of going out to eat with these family members. It was exciting to know that these family members were going to pay for our food. However, it also felt we were less than these other family members because we were the charity side of the family. That monetary gap motivated me to pursue a higher education. I wanted to be able to take care of myself and any dependents I might have.