City College Faculty Reach Tentative Agreement with the District–Organizing Works

Dear City College Community,

City College faculty and the District have reached a tentative agreement that addresses key issues at the college and brings greater stability to our community. This agreement (see Mission Local article here) is the result of community advocacy, faculty and staff organizing, and the leadership of our elected Board of Trustees. We thank all of you for making this possible and look forward to the work ahead.

For nine long months, our faculty bargaining team dealt with a Chancellor at City College who was unwilling to negotiate or be transparent about the college’s budget, even going so far as to provide false and misleading documents. On October 26, community partners and students joined City College faculty (AFT 2121) and staff (SEIU 1021) in a rally for a fair contract. We called on our elected Board of Trustees to step up and direct Chancellor Martin and his team to engage in honest and genuine negotiations. Thankfully, our Board listened.

We would in particular like to thank Board President Alan Wong and Trustees Aliya Chisti and Susan Solomon for joining our mediation sessions and finding an agreement that works for all. Trustee Solomon spent over fifteen hours in our final session, and our students will be the better for it.  

Prior to this agreement, full-time faculty at City College had been paid 20% less than those at other colleges in the Bay Area. This was causing serious staffing shortages in key departments such as Registered Nursing. Our students deserve the best, and that means paying faculty competitively. It also means providing City College students with the classes and support they need to complete their training and degrees.

City College is the largest source of workforce training and higher ed degrees in SF. In his short time at City College, Chancellor Martin has presided over a period of short-sighted cuts and labor unrest that have negatively impacted thousands of students. We look forward to working with our Board to put an end to the chaos and to finding a new Chancellor who is committed to ensuring City College fulfills its mission.

City College is turning over a new leaf, and we thank you–our big, broad, and diverse community–for making that possible. Together, we will fight to protect and revive the soul of our city. #HeartbeatofCCSF