Three agreements covering staff, regular and technical faculty, and special faculty establish compensation increases, enhanced benefits and new workplace protections.
Valencia, California (Sept. 9, 2026) — California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and CalArts United-United Auto Workers (CU-UAW) have ratified their first collective bargaining agreements covering three groups of CalArts employees: staff, regular and technical faculty, and special faculty.
The agreements represent the culmination of months of negotiations between CalArts and CU-UAW and establish a framework for compensation, benefits, appointments, workplace protections and labor-management collaboration through July 31, 2029.
“This is an important and historic moment for CalArts,” said CalArts President Ravi S. Rajan. “These agreements recognize the essential contributions our faculty and staff make to our students, our creative community and the Institute’s mission. Having been a long-time AFL-CIO member in my career, I know the hard work it takes during negotiation, and I am grateful to both bargaining teams for the care, persistence and honest engagement they brought to this process. The result provides meaningful support for our employees while establishing a sustainable foundation for CalArts’ future.”
Highlights of the agreements include:
- Compensation increases: Regular, technical, and special faculty will receive 2.5% increases to base pay on Jan. 1 in 2027, 2028, and 2029. Staff generally will receive an increase equal to the greater of $2,800 or 2.5% in 2027; the greater of $2,100 or 2.5% in 2028; and 2.5% in 2029 (note there is a separate schedule for Staff employees in Facilities Development and Management).
- Higher compensation floors: The agreements eliminate the three lowest steps of the Faculty Salary Advancement Plan for regular and technical faculty. They also establish minimum course compensation for special faculty and compensation standards for assigned non-teaching work.
- One-time payment: Bargaining-unit employees will receive a one-time $200 payment following ratification.
- Healthcare support: CalArts will maintain its existing healthcare plan and contribution structure through March 2028 and establish an annual $32,000 healthcare emergency fund to help eligible bargaining-unit employees address qualifying medical expenses.
- Professional development: The agreements establish a new $10,000 annual professional development fund for staff and maintain existing professional development funding for faculty.
- Parental leave: Eligible employees receiving California Paid Family Leave benefits for bonding with a new child will receive supplemental pay from CalArts, bringing their compensation to 100% of regular wages for up to eight weeks.
- Tuition benefits: The agreements maintain existing tuition benefits and expand support for eligible employees with 20 or more years of service.
- Faculty appointment pathways: The agreements create clearer pathways to longer-term appointments for regular, technical, and special faculty, providing greater predictability while recognizing employees’ continued service to CalArts.
- Workplace processes: The contracts establish procedures addressing performance reviews, personnel records, layoffs and recall, discipline, grievances and arbitration.
- Artificial intelligence and new technology: CalArts will provide advance notice when it reasonably anticipates that a new artificial intelligence tool or other new technology will materially displace bargaining-unit work. The agreements also establish a joint labor-management committee to discuss significant AI and new technology developments and provide for bargaining over eligible effects of implementation.
- Creative Leave: The agreement maintains policies related to creative leave at the time of ratification.
- Ongoing labor-management collaboration: A union-management committee will meet at least four times each academic year to discuss workplace matters outside the formal grievance process.
Other provisions in the agreement focus on academic freedom, intellectual property, nondiscrimination, health and safety, leaves, holidays, workload, employee data protections, and other terms and conditions of employment.
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has set the pace for educating professional artists since 1970. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts champions creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions. As successive generations of faculty and alumni have helped shape the landscape of contemporary arts, the Institute first envisioned by Walt Disney encompasses a vibrant, eclectic community with global reach, inviting experimentation, independent inquiry, and active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines, and cultural traditions.