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During the accreditation crisis, City College students and workers fought alongside our community for CCSF. Now interim Chancellor Lamb and Special Trustee Lease intend to shrink classes by 26%, lay off more than a quarter of the faculty, and refuse to negotiate a fair faculty contract. We are coming together today: all campuses, all faculty, and all communities to continue the fight for the quality, diverse and accessible City College that San Francisco deserves!
When the college was under attack by the rogue accrediting commission, the ACCJC, faculty took pay cuts, and AFT 2121 worked to enable the coming together of students, community allies, and elected leaders who worked to keep City College open.
Because of the ACCJC our elected board of trustees was replaced with an unelected Special Trustee. Under Guy Lease’s leadership CCSF administration is working to downsize City College and reduce educational access for our students.
The college has already seen a student enrollment drop of nearly one third. This threatens future funding, jobs, student opportunity, the existence of departments, and student resources.
City College students and workers have withstood uncertainty, threats and financial hardship. Pay cuts were forced on City College workers while administrators were provided secret double-digit raises. All while a revolving door of outside consultants and interim administrators make decisions about the college’s future while leaving students and employee groups out of decision-making.
Faculty are over loaded with work and forced to live outside the city limits. This takes valuable time away from our classrooms and one-on-one time with students that is part of the high quality education students receive at City College.
To win, it will take the solidarity of the San Francisco community standing with faculty and saying: enough is enough. Faculty must be paid a wage that allows them to live in San Francisco and the city needs the high quality and affordable education that CCSF has always offered.
Faculty became public servants because we want to educate students. Going on strike is not a step that faculty take lightly. Going on strike is ultimately our greatest tool to fight back against administration’s power and defend City College for our students and for San Francisco! Because of administration’s unfair labor practices our executive board has called for a strike authorization vote. AFT 2121 members have been working without a contract since June.
We’re rallying today to show administration that we are powerful, we are united, and we are willing to fight for the City College San Francisco deserves!
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