The Joint FFAP-FCE bargaining team met on Nov. 19 to try to close the $10M gap between what the Federations are demanding and what the college says they can afford over the next four years. The two sides had been working on a four-year deal covering two bienniums with conditions placed on the second biennium—the rationale being that we won’t know what resources the college will have available in 2021, and both sides would want to come back to the bargaining table if there were significant shifts in state funding, enrollment, or any other revenue sources for the college.
Here are the main components of administration’s offer. Their four-year deal includes:
- Step Compression for Full Time Faculty (FT), Part Time Faculty (PT), and Academic Professionals (APs): This is a concept introduced by FFAP that would decrease the distance between steps from 3.5% to 3%. This would result in a pay increase for everyone except those on the top step, with those on the bottom steps getting a higher percentage bump and each subsequent step getting a proportionally smaller increase. If you want to see how that would affect you, this spreadsheet shows the current steps compared to what your salary would be with step compression (in green.)
- COLAs for Faculty and APs: 1% in years 1&2, and 2% in years 3&4
- COLAs for Classified: 3% in years 1&2, and 4% in years 3&4 (note that COLAs are higher for Classified in lieu of step compression.)
- $850,000 in professional development funds for PT faculty
- $164,000 for changes in compensation structure for Faculty Department Chairs (background here)
- PT faculty pay parity: over four years, increase the number of PT steps to 17 (from 11), with new steps to be 70% of FT faculty rate.
The Federations appreciate the college’s movement on some issues, but we maintain:
- The COLAs are too low
- Professional development funding does not belong in a compensation package—it is the duty of the college to provide professional development opportunities to ALL employees.
- FT faculty need a new top step
- APs deserve compensation for the failed roll-out of AP Levels 6&7
Further, the total amount of the college’s offer actually decreased—from $54.6 million over four years to $48.6 million. In exchange for this, they offered to remove the conditions on the second biennium and work toward PT faculty pay parity.
If you are feeling frustrated, angry, unheard, or exhausted by this drawn-out bargaining process, please join us for progressive picketing THURSDAY, Nov. 21. We are offering opportunities across the district for you to show your support for the bargaining team and demand a fair contract.
The bargaining teams will convene again Friday afternoon. You can sign up to observe here.
Please be in touch with any questions or feedback.