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Now, more than ever, community college faculty need to stay vigilant as we face challenges that threaten us. These challenges have come in the form of legislation that impact course offerings and have a direct effect on faculty salaries, hours, and working conditions.
Prohibitions on repeatability are decimating our arts and performance programs, leading to lower enrollment at our colleges. AB 705, which eliminates the requirement that students take remedial classes, have already resulted in class cancellations. Adjunct faculty have been disproportionately affected by cuts in course sections.
We’ve said this before, and it’s especially true now: Our strength is at the bargaining table. We defend faculty rights. It’s important to show management that we are strong and united. That we are committed to our students and to each other. We show that every day in our colleges’ shared governance meetings on facilities, budget, technology, institutional effectiveness, distance education, student success, and more. We work with administration every day to solve problems as they arise and in regular consultation sessions with our college presidents and with the District Chancellor. We represent faculty and make our voices heard at every Board of Trustees meeting.
We want the best for the students and the communities we serve. And more and more, we see the need to fill the gaps in our social safety net for students faced with food insecurity and homelessness, whose basic needs are not being met.
Our strength is also in our advocacy on a state level. The Guild’s Executive Board passed a motion last month to advocate for these issues in Sacramento this spring:
- Modify the new Student-Centered Funding Formula (SCFF)
- Increase Student Financial Aid
- Allocate funds to hire more full-time faculty
- Increase the Funding Base by reforming Prop 13
- Support Governor Newsom’s proposal to put more money ($5.8 billion) into STRS
Our members are the strength of our union. We’re counting on you to stand with us!
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