Today, the District announced their intent to send “March 15th notices” to full-time faculty.
While 2021 brings hope, our CCSF community continues to grapple with dire circumstances produced by chronic and deliberate underfunding of education, poor fiscal management by the college administration, and lack of leadership from our Board of Trustees.
Our vision has always involved bringing more revenue into our college to support the robust, community-driven mission of CCSF. That’s why we fought to pass Prop 15 and fund WERF. And together, we successfully pushed the District to find other solutions. Together, we saved classes, jobs, and healthcare during a global pandemic.
Yet we face serious problems. We didn’t win Prop 15, COVID eclipsed WERF funding, and our college reserves are gone. We’ve experienced cuts, layoffs, and campus closures. We must now, together, rise to the challenge.
The consequences of underfunding.
As we prepare for contract negotiations in this financial crisis, there are actions we can expect the administration to take. The biggest place for them to control costs is by cutting classes and programs, which means layoffs and load reductions. We’ve been living it. And on top of previous cuts, they plan to cut several hundred classes from the Fall 2021 schedule.
What is a March 15th notice?
A March 15th notice (a.k.a. pink slip) is a legal requirement they have to meet before laying off tenured and tenure-track faculty. It is NOT a layoff notice. It’s a statement that you could be laid off in the Fall. It puts full-time faculty in the same position for Fall 2021 that part-time faculty are in every semester: We’re employed if there’s work available, but the District is not obligated to create work for us.
What happens next?
We expect the administration will send more March 15th notices than they intend to act on — this is a standard practice. Actual layoffs are not determined until May for FT faculty, and can be even later for PT. How many faculty, both FT and PT, actually get laid off or have their hours reduced will depend on multiple factors:
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Availability of funding
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Program choices and priorities
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Negotiations with AFT and other labor groups
What can you do?
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Check your seniority and hiring status. Full-timers have received a link from HR in your ccsf.edu email. Part-timers can check the lists posted here. Ask HR if you have questions.
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AFT 2121 will host two discussions about March 15th notices. This is a space to address questions and concerns. Please join us on:
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Monday 1/25, 10-11am: https://aft.zoom.us/j/3145027798
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Tuesday 1/26, 10-11am: https://aft.zoom.us/j/3145027798
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Take a picture of yourself wearing your AFT 2121 t-shirt and holding a sign with this message:
“SF’s COVID recovery depends on educators. Underfunding is the enemy. #SaveOurCCSF”
Post it on your social media, send us your picture, and we’ll also post it on our social media: aft@aft2121.org
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Take action in your union’s bargaining process and connect with your precinct rep about filling out our bargaining survey and how to join efforts to bring more money to the college.
We all know the solution cannot be further cuts. Our students and our community are counting on all of us to find creative solutions to ensure City College remains an accessible, high quality resource. So now is the time to join in the fight for the college we all need.
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