Bargaining

Fellow Unionists,

The Union Negotiations Team met with the Compton College District Negotiations team on February 27th. In an act of solidarity, over 20 faculty members joined the bargaining session. The Union continued to press its case for a cost of living adjustment of 32% to make up for the lack of COLA received since 2019. The proposed raise would increase over the next three academic years, 16.54% 2023-24, which includes a one time retroactive pay bonus; 8.13% for 2024-25, and 8% 2025-26. This increase would affect all full time and part time faculty members.

Our rank and file member, Dr. Jesse Mills, shared testimony on the impact of the district’s unwillingness to meet the living standards of our faculty members over the past ten years. Dr. Mills pointed to the significant disparity between the growing salary schedule gap of neighboring schools. Dr. Mills pointed to our peers at Long Beach City College and El Camino College, who with similar years of experience, earn 25% and 35% more than Compton College faculty. Dr. Mills made the case that the stagnant salary schedule and ever demanding working conditions of our faculty directly impact faculty performance, and therefore student success. Dr. Mills raised concerns about how the college's budget was managed, particularly criticizing the mismanagement of construction projects and the allocation of funds to increase administrative salaries.

Dr. Mills echoed the concern shared by the Union leadership over the allocation of significant salary increases received by Administrators. In July 2023, the Administrative class received an expanded salary schedule which included an increase of their salaries as well as the introduction of new salary steps, which will dramatically increase their wages in the future.

See below for the approved Administrative Salary increases.

New Administrative Salary Schedule

2022-2023

2023-2024

2024-2025

Salary Increase

181,005

398,069

485,255

Benefit Increase

55,433

123,676

151,264

Total

236,438

521,746

636,519

• 
  Board Agenda Item discussing the Administrative Salary Increase on July 18, 2023.

• Board Agenda unanimously approving new Salary Schedule on July 18, 2023.

• Administrative Salary Schedule (chart) Approved by the Board, effective July 2022.

Typical of the flippant disregard of the points brought forth by the Union, that rightfully criticize the District’s budget decision making process, the topic was avoided and disregarded by their chief negotiator.

The District responded through Dr. Abdul Nasser, VP of Administrative Services, on the points of compensation. Dr. Nasser presented data on budget projections made by his office in consultation with the District. Dr. Nasser stressed that financial decisions are made with the future health of the institution in mind. He pointed to the “competing” priorities that the school is facing and implied that any significant change to faculty’s pay would result in financial instability, direct harm to student services, and the halting of the construction of buildings - which have already been delayed due to poor management from his office. The Union demanded additional information be provided to evaluate and provide a forensic accounting analysis of that data. The E-Board will be reaching out to our CFT and AFT partners to receive support to provide a forensic accounting analysis of the District proposed budget. We invite all union members to participate in this analysis.

Only after being pressed continuously, did the district agree to provide an official written response to our demands on health care contributions and other compensation sub articles on March 5, 2024.

The Union negotiation articles in regards to compensation are:

• Part-Time and Full Time Salary Increases.

• Increase of maximum initial placement of new faculty hires, Step 17 not the current Step 13.

• Health and Welfare Coverage - paying full premium for healthcare, vision, and dental care for both full time and part time faculty.

• Return to coverage of retired faculty for vision and dental - which we do not currently have.

The Union has requested the District provide the data and further notes on the information presented by Dr. Nasser.

"Equity Avenger," Dr. Keith Curry recently stated that budgets, in his view, are “statements of values.” He has stated “I have said on countless occasions that Budgets are statements of values. We can not just stop providing services to students because of declining resources, this is when we become creative, as our students need us more now than ever before.” The Union agrees that services are essential for the success of the school and our community. But that success cannot be achieved without a faculty who are treated with dignity and respect as frontline education workers.

Equity includes faculty.

We ask that all full time and part time faculty:

• Help us demonstrate to the district the severity of these demands by attending the next negotiating meeting on March 5, 3-5pm, please see your emails for invitations to the zoom and caucus links.

• Consider becoming a Union division lead.

• Please update your email and contact information with the Union.

  • If you know of a colleague that is not receiving Union communications, please share this post and links with them.

• Participate in the Organizing Committee by attending Union Office Hours Mondays and Wed 10am-12pm in the Union Office, Tartar Village 31D.

• Continue having these conversations about our pay inequity with your colleagues.

Faculty should not bear the burden of mismanagement - we deserve a basic cost of living increase.

Administrators need us, we do not need administrators!

Faculty Strong! Direct Action Gets the Goods!

In solidarity,

CCCFE EBoard

Greetings Unionist!

A united super majority of Faculty at Compton College can function as a counter force of change to maintain the dignity of our labor! Here are the updates:

BARGAINING RECAP 3/5

Our negotiations team, legal counsel, and rank-and-file members met with the Admin for bargaining on Article 17 Compensation and Article 6 Division Chairs.

Typical of the intransigence faced by the Union, the Administrative Class was not prepared to answer questions based on financial information presented at the previous meeting. Coincidentally, Dr. Nasser who presented a dismal forecast of the District budget projects, was also not in attendance, which stalled conversations about the District’s budget projections.

The Union demanded a written formal response to our Healthcare contract language. The negotiations over Article 17 is vital to our faculty’s need for a Cost of Living increases. The Administrative Class stood by their initial offer of 6%/3%/2% salary schedule increase over the next three years, and chose to not directly address the other sections of the article including an increase to the Initial Step Placement, Full Coverage Healthcare for FT and PT faculty. This stance by Admin continues to put the unfair burden of rising costs of living on our members.

The Union stands firm in fighting for equity and dignity in the workplace and will be presenting a written counter for Article 17. The Union will continue to demand the Administrative Class provide data and transparency of the District’s finances.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend.

NEXT BARGAINING SESSION 3/12 3-5pm - TOMORROW!!!

Please join us for opening bargaining on Zoom on Tuesday from 3-5pm. Please use the following links:

CCC FE Bargaining Meeting with District

CCC FE Union Bargaining Meeting Caucus Room

Union Google Chat (Use to send comments to lead negotiators)

Open Bargaining, Rules of the Room

ORGANIZING TO WIN

If you are tired of hypocrisy, recklessness, and poisonous agendas of the Administrative class at our campus then we invite you to get involved and channel your frustration into a force for good! We deserve respect, a Cost of Living Increase, and more democratic control of our workplace.

Your CCCFE Union needs all members to participate in winning a strong contact and here are three steps everyone can take.

• Volunteer as a co-lead in your Division to communicate directly with your colleagues on Union updates and issues.

• Be part of our Communications Committee and design materials to share information on the benefits to union membership and information on what the Union is fighting to achieve at the bargaining table.

• Get training on how to talk to your colleagues about taking collective action.

The Union leadership is growing, and you can be a part of this change! Join us for our Union Office Hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm in VT-132B. Also join by Zoom Passcode 708979. This Monday 3/11 we will be reviewing our updated counter proposal for Article 17 Compensation.

Time after time, we have witnessed successes in the education labor movement achieved through solidarity and direct action. Our day will come.

Please encourage your non-member colleagues in your division/departments to join our UNION. To help out with your task. To help with the spread of our work and goals, we have attached some flyers and informational pamphlets you can share with your non-member colleagues.

Dignity, Unity, Action

Sincerely,

CCCFE Union

Greetings Unionist!

BARGAINING RECAP 3/12

Our negations team, legal counsel, and rank-and-file members met with the Administrative Class to present our updated Article XVII Compensation counter proposal. Our team demanded more clarification on the District’s finances, to help us understand their underwhelming offer.

In the spirit of Good Faith bargaining, we provided the district with our new proposal which included a 25% salary schedule increase (14.78% / 8.22% / 2%) for Full Time and Part Time faculty. We believe this is appropriate compensation considering that the District approved a 23% salary schedule increase for the Administration class in July 2023. We believe our new salary schedule proposal honors our labor and promote the ideals of equity and dignity in the workplace.

We have also updated our Health and Welfare section of the article. The Union’s revised language and data to explain the minor fiscal impact to the District that our demand for full vision and dental coverage to ALL faculty members. We are also proposing updating our healthcare coverage that District cover all members with individual plans up to $15,000; and for our members on Two-Party or Family plans for the district to 100% cover 8 out of the 10 healthcare provider plans offered by the district.

Our next bargaining session with the District is on Tuesday 3/26 from 3-5pm. We except the District to respond to our proposal and present a new counter-proposal for additional economic articles. We will send out zoom and other relevant links shortly.

UNION SOCIAL TODAY 3/14

We are hosting our Spring social gathering at So Cal Vibes, 17812 Main St, Gardena, CA 90248, from 5pm-8pm. Please join us to gather, meet other rank-and-file members, and “talk shop” organize to fight and win a strong contract!

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Dignity, Unity, Action!

Sincerely,

CCCFE Eboard

Greetings Unionist!

BARGAINING RECAP 4/23

Our negations team, legal counsel, and rank-and-file members met with the Administrative Class to present our updated Article VI Division Chairs and Appendix G Division Chair Elections counter proposal.

Our negotiations team demanded an end to Counselors being left out of a Division and be included in HEPS where many Counselors teach. This would make HEPS the largest Division and therefore we demanded an additional Chair for the Division for Counselor and General Studies faculty. Additionally, we demanded an increase of Division Chair release time be based on FTEF (Full Time Equivalent Faculty) totals for each Division. This will assist our larger Divisions with more release time for Chairs.

We also presented our Counterproposals for Appendix G which directs divisions on how to elect new Division Chairs. We added language to center democratic decision making for Division Faculty as well as allow for elections to take place online and outside of Division meetings to increase participation in a uniform manner.

Finally, we pressed the District to provide us data on their Compensation proposal and other important budget data in order to see what dollar amount we are really working with when it comes to our demands for a Cost of Living wage and healthcare increase.

NEXT BARGAINING SESSION 5/7

Our next bargaining session with the District is on Tuesday 5/7 from 3-5pm. We expect the District to respond to our proposal and present a new counter-proposal for additional economic articles. We will send out a zoom and other relevant links shortly.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Please fill out the following survey to share what you action(s) you are willing to take to win our demands for a dignified wage and workplace!

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Dignity, Unity, Action!

Sincerely,

CCCFE Eboard

Dear Unionists,

BARGAINNING RECAP

Our negations team, legal counsel, and rank-and-file members met with the Administrative Class on 5/28, and 6/3 for the last two sessions of the semester for our successor contract bargaining.

Our negotiations team continued to focus on the material conditions of working at Compton College where our labor is essential to student success, yet we are compensated at the lowest salary schedule in LA County. This demand was also shared at the Board of Trustees on 5/21 where CEO Curry and the Board were presented with data showing the clear difference in salary schedule proposals.

Because of our continual pressure at the table, the Admin provided counter proposals for Article 6 Division Chairs and Articles 17 Compensation. This semester we pushed the Admin to accept the Union’s language for a $1000 Doctoral Stipend. The Admin has gone up another step for initial placement and is proposing starting step offers for new faculty to be placed on steps 12-14, while we are still fighting for initial placement steps 12-17. Unfortunately, Admin have not increased their 11% (6/3/2) salary schedule offer which has not changed in over a year of bargaining! We continue to stand by our 25% COLA demand (15/8/2).

We are fighting for Cost of Living (COLA) and they are proposing wages that continue to keep many of our members burdened with the realities of inflation. Our salary schedule has not been increased since 2019 yet we work and live in the 6th most expense Metropolitan area in the country according the COLI Index.

TAKE ACTION FOR YOUR CONTRACT FIGHT

Building off of our successful Union Pride holiday action at the end of Fall, we are asking members to bring your red union pins and pin it to your gown for commencement. We will be passing out buttons as well the day of. Please look for David Chavez or Nathan Lopez before you enter the Tennis Stadium.

Dignity, Unity, Action!

Sincerely,

CCCFE Eboard