San Mateo County Community College District faculty calling for equitable contract

“Do the right thing for students, approve a fair contract for faculty,” said David Lau, an English professor at the College of San Mateo and the campus’ union chapter chair, during public comment. “San Mateo County Community College District faculty provide training and education vital to the success of our region but for far too long the district has failed to create an environment where faculty is adequately supported to guide students through their educational journey.”

The American Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, the community college’s teachers union, is asking the district to increase its contribution to staff health plans, to tap into a state program that helps cover health plans for part-time employees and pay increases for both full-time and adjunct professors that reflect the expensive cost of living in the Bay Area and account for inflation.

According to a negotiation update published on the AFT 1493 website in December, faculty was asking for a raise of 10% in the first year followed by two 8% raises in the following two years for full-time employees. For adjunct teachers, they were asking for an initial 17% raise followed by a 15% raise and “any additional raise needed to reach the 85% goal in the third year of the contract.” That goal is for adjunct professors to make at least 85% of what full-time employees make for similar work.

Alternatively, the district was offering a 5% raise in the first year followed by two 3% raises for all faculty and an extra half-percent raise a year for adjunct professors, according to the union report. And as for health care, the district has proposed covering between $914 and $2,026 for full-time employees depending on the number of people they have on their plan.

The proposal does not include funding for part-time employee health care. Instead, part-time employees can apply for up to $3,305 reimbursements per semester for premium costs through the district’s Medical Reimbursement Program. Employees must work at least 40% of a full-time workload to be eligible.

Suji Venkataraman, an adjunct early education teacher in her ninth year as an employee with the district, said the current health system forces part-timers to make hard and unsustainable medical decisions.

“The point is the cost of living is high. I live here because I like living here and I like teaching in this district but I’m at a point where it’s like how long can I sustain with what I get,” Venkataraman said.

But it’s unclear what exactly is being said in the negotiations given that the parties are still in closed-door discussions and neither side can disclose details to their members yet. Faculty members say their sense is that talks are not going in their favor.

Officials did not comment on statements made by staff during the May 24 meeting but board Vice President John Pimentel did thank the group for their comments outside the board chamber. Beyond that, the district said they could not comment on negotiations at this point.

“The district continues to negotiate fairly and in good faith and progress is being made. Given that negotiations are ongoing, and out of respect for the confidential process, it is not appropriate to comment further at this time,” said David McLain, director of community relations and marketing, in an email.

Union members do not necessarily agree with the sentiment that negotiations are moving fairly. Instead, they accuse the district of sidelining important initiatives that would help advance equity among staff like expanding parental leave and disability accommodations for educators like those often swiftly offered to students.

The resistance, faculty said, runs contradictory to statements from leadership that equity is a top priority. While faculty members said they fully support and stand by decisions to reduce student barriers to enrolling like doing away with tuition fees and other charges for thousands of students, they said they felt those equity initiatives stopped short when it comes to staff who, they argued, are charged with providing students with a quality educational experience and guiding future leaders.

Faculty noted the district resides in one of the state’s wealthiest counties, boasting some of the highest property values in the nation. As a community funded district, SMCCCD’s budget is largely supported by property tax revenue. For years now, the property tax values have increased in the county though officials have warned that those increases have slowed in recent years.

The two parties have been negotiating since last May, two months before the previous contract — which remains in place until a new one is adopted — expired in July. As of 2021, the district employed 1,698 people, 1,044 full-time, 200 part-time, and 454 adjunct faculty across three bargaining units serving nearly 30,000 students.

“Faculty have been working tirelessly to provide students with the best educational experience,” said AFT 1493 President Monica Malamud in a press release. “We need our district to recognize that in order for this to be sustainable and continue to focus on our students, faculty need the working conditions and wages that our union has been trying to negotiate for over a year.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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