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San José State educators press CSU for fair contracts and AI job protections
More than a dozen faculty union members and students rallied outside a California State University symposium in San José, calling for better pay and safeguards against AI replacing instructors. The protest came months after contract talks reached an impasse over a CSU proposal that the union said would cut health benefits.
SAN JOSÉ — California Faculty Association members, faculty and students gathered in the rain outside the Signia Hilton on Thursday, Oct. 22, urging the California State University system to improve faculty pay and protect jobs as it expands its use of artificial intelligence.
The demonstration took place as CSU Chancellor Mildred García spoke inside the hotel at the system’s 2026 Student Success Symposium. More than a dozen protesters marched and called for fair contracts, carrying signs criticizing CSU’s treatment of workers.
“We want to be heard at the bargaining table and let her know that faculty is present at San José State,” said Ginevra Marta Scherini, a lecturer at San José State University. “We want fair bargaining and good outcomes for our contracts.”
The faculty union declared an impasse in negotiations in July after CSU made a proposal that the union said would reduce health benefits. Scherini said she has worked at San José State for five years, teaches in three departments and takes a second job to afford living in the Bay Area.
She also raised concerns about whether the university system’s AI push could put faculty jobs at risk. CSU began its AI initiative in 2025, with a stated goal of becoming the nation’s first and largest AI-empowered university system. The system has partnered with the governor’s office and technology companies, including Adobe, OpenAI and NVIDIA, to introduce AI tools for students and employees.
Scherini said she has attended AI training sessions but considers campus policies on the technology unclear. She wants safeguards against using AI to replace faculty or classroom instruction.
San José State spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald said the university is keeping its AI policies relatively open so instructors can decide how to use the technology in their classrooms. She said university leaders, including the provost, hear faculty concerns, and that the question is how prescriptive the rules should be.
At the symposium, García said CSU would not be reckless with students’ futures. Administrators and campus presidents attending the event heard her plans to improve academic success, graduation and hiring rates.