As a faculty, regardless of our status, we have fought long and hard over the last 5 crisis years. We have managed to stand together in the most difficult period our college has ever faced. What have we won by standing together?
1) We Saved Our College! We exposed the abuses of the ACCJC and regained our Full Accreditation!
2) We have Free City! Our campaign for Prop W/Free City has led to Free tuition for San Francisco residents, paid for by progressive taxes!
The first numbers for Fall enrollment look promising. We remain cautiously optimistic for a real turnaround in our enrollment numbers.
3) A Contract! We won a pay increase over our previous salary for all faculty of 12.4%, restored previously frozen Steps, and added a salary Step at the top of the scale for everyone.
CONTRACT CAMPAIGN AND DISTRICT’S AUSTERITY AGENDA
Our next contract campaign – which will kick off this fall – will most likely be just as contentious as the fights over our last two contracts, if not more so.
The district, following the playbook of the ACCJC and FCMAT, will continue to try push an austerity agenda on students, faculty and staff.
They have already done much of this to the detriment of both those working full-time and those working part-time.
While we remained the top in the state in ratio of classes taught by those working full-time, there are disturbing trends. Since 2011/12 we have 25% fewer faculty working full-time. While the number of faculty with a part-time load has remained about the same, the percent receiving benefits has dropped from 50% to 32%.
The only way that we can move forward to create more full-time jobs and make sure that those who work part-time get benefits is by working together.
With attacks at both the national and the local level, standing together is more important than ever. This is not the time to waste our energy amplifying the factors that divide us. Those divisions serve only to weaken our union and hand power over to the other side of the bargaining table.
TRUMP AND ATTACKS ON UNION FAIR SHARE
Currently, all faculty pay a fair share of the cost of representation by our union. But Trump’s appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court has assured that when the Supreme Court hears the “Janus” case next year, it will abolish “fair share” requirements. When this happens,
union members will be forced to pay more to cover “free riders” – those who benefit from union representation and contract victories without paying their share of the costs.
Now more than ever we need redouble efforts to protect our union and labor, so part of our Contract Campaign will be asking our all faculty to continue paying their fair share.
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