No unilateral action
The AFT and District bargaining teams met on Monday, May 21. The Union team made clear that the District should cease its threat to impose an unilateral wage cut of up to 7.17% and called on them to resume bargaining in good faith towards a compensation settlement and approach to dealing with the District’s budget deficit for 2012/13. We regard any such unilateral imposition of a wage cut punitive to faculty and illegal under California collective bargaining law. AFT is also delivering this message to the CCSF Board of Trustees, including at the Thursday evening, May 24 meeting, where the Board will be considering this issue in Closed Session.
No blank check
AFT bargaining team members spent hours pouring over budget information, reviewing and correcting District cost-outs, trying to obtain accurate figures regarding the deficit and budget costs. District figures have been at best a moving target, making it extremely difficult to get an accurate read of the problem, let alone determine what a “shared sacrifice” approach to solving next year’s deficit would mean for faculty. Our message was clear: the Union must have accurate figures. We will not write a blank check to the District.
Negotiate in good faith
The parties will continue negotiations Thursday, May 24. AFT members and reps are understandably alarmed at the provocative behavior of District negotiators/contracted lawyers and especially their threat of unilateral action. Precinct reps and others turned out for Tuesday’s AFT Delegate Assembly, voicing their frustration with the District and support for the Union negotiations team. Members made it clear they would take more militant action should the District fail to return to good faith negotiations to deal with the fiscal crisis.
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