The California Faculty Association announced Monday that after nearly two years of erratic negotiations and three days of voting, it overwhelmingly voted to ratify the California State University’s latest contract proposal, which was originally handed down on April 3.

The proposal came in the form of a tentative agreement eight days before a pre-planned strike was scheduled.

Alice Sunshine, communications director for the union, said 97 percent of CSU faculty members voted in favor of the new contract. She said voting required a margin of 50 percent plus one.

“The vote, in favor of ratifying the tentative contract agreement, was overwhelming high,” Sunshine said.

Sacramento State music Professor James Chopyak, who voted in favor of ratifying the contract, said the vote turned out just as he had expected.

“It’s long overdue,” he said.

Sunshine said faculty members had from May 1 until May 3 to vote on the CSU’s proposal, which included a base salary increase of 20.7 percent for the 2006 to 2010 contract cycle. The agreement is a direct result of intense negotiations, faculty activism and strike preparations, CFA President John Travis said in a press release.

“The CSU faculty have won a contract that provides fair salaries, retirement security, proper grievance procedures and much more,” he said.

The CFA’s ratification brings CSU faculty members one step closer to receiving the salary they deserve, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said, in a press release.

“This agreement tracks closely with the fact finder’s recommendations and is consistent with the CSU board of trustees’ five-year plan to close salary lags for all CSU employees,” he said.

In order to finalize the deal, the CSU board of trustees must approve its own proposal at a meeting on May 15.

Travis said the CFA is happy to ratify the contract and hopes CSU administrators will do the same.

CSU spokeswoman Claudia Keith said she is confident the trustees will accept the contract.

“(Board members) went ahead and accepted the initial offer before it was sent to the CFA for consideration,” Keith said. “I don’t anticipate any problems.”

If the contract is approved, faculty will receive back pay from July 1. According to the CSU website, salaries could increase 24.87 percent to adjust for raises.

Keith said the specifics for the increase were decided upon after a third party fact-finder recommended faculty salaries be increased by 24.87 percent over four years.

The CSU and CFA will also establish a joint labor management committee to discuss specific issues of mutual concern, examine the structure of the overall pay program, oversee the administration of the equity salary program and gather data on teaching associates and related title, according to the contract. The agreement will cost the CSU more than $400 million over the next four years.

Chopyak said the agreement is a step in the right direction. He said, however, that he hopes the agreement doesn’t fuel student anger.

“On some campuses, administrators are incorrectly saying that the new contract is the reason behind the increase of student fees?.This is incorrect,” Chopyak said. “I hope that administrators on this campus will not follow suit.”

Sophomore communication studies major Kay Edwards said information she has received has been mixed.

“I’ve been told that student fee increases are a direct result of faculty raises,” Edwards said. “I’ve also been told the complete opposite. I don’t really know what to think?. I want my professors to be treated fairly, but I also want to be able to attend and complete college without being in debt.”

President of the Sac State chapter of the CFA Cecil Canton said faculty salaries and students fee increases are not related.

“If student fees and faculty salaries were related we would have seen increases during negotiations,” Canton said. “It was never a question of how the CSU would get?.The CSU has always had enough money to pay us more, they just chose to spend it on other things.”

Canton said it was a clear case of misplaced priorities.

Ashley Evans can be reached at [email protected]