More than 75 members joined our session on Friday, April 16. Please continue to come and support us, ask questions, and engage in the post-bargaining discussions. Invite a colleague along to the next session; we can double our presence!
The session began with forceful and passionate testimonials from faculty members on the team who talked through the reality of the impacts on different programs, all highlighting the fact that we need to come up with long term solutions to our budget issues and keep the community in our community college! The deliberate downsizing of CCSF is unacceptable and we will continue to fight the drastic cuts!
A budget discussion followed, however fruitless. The bargaining team is still unable to have productive or robust discussions with the administration who are unable to provide details to support their budget projections. The district did signal that they are engaging with City Hall and the Board of Supervisors and publicly acknowledged that they will accept funds from the city – a step in the right direction.
Instead of taking the lead on creative problem solving at the bargaining table the District has focused instead on the layoff hearings occurring this week. So your AFT bargaining team is working this week to take the lead in shaping proposals that avoid these cuts.
AFT2121 is hosting two important events this week;
Phone banking: Monday, April 19 and Tuesday, April 20
In person night school with students and faculty: Thursday, April 22.
Stay tuned for information regarding the date and time of our next bargaining session.
In Unity,
I attended bargaining to learn more about the negotiation process. I found it really illuminating to hear the arguments on both sides. Our team showed exceptional organization and patience, even when the administration did not. It was also concerning to see the administration present numbers that didn’t add up, and be so resistant to some funding options.
I am really looking forward to the next meeting. I know my attendance will be valued by the team, and critical to our success. A large faculty presence shows the administration that this negotiation is personal. Our presence builds strength in the process, and helps push administrators to take us seriously. I feel really proud to be a part of the process, and I can’t wait to see what will happen next.
–Naomi Vanderkindren, AFT 2121 Member
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