San Mateo County Community College District teachers may strike

The district and union has remained in impasse mediation since October 2025, and although negotiations will continue to be conducted in good faith, Zúñiga urged the district to make progress soon. 

“The time to make a deal is now,” Zúñiga said. “I don’t know if you know anything about the history of educator strikes, but the educators always win.” 

The proposed contract by AFT 1493 would cost “more than $50 million over three years for the faculty bargaining unit alone,” David McLain, executive director of Community and Government Relations, said in a statement. 

This amount is roughly five times more than the available resources the district will have to support salary and benefit increases across all employee groups, McLain said.  

“The district remains optimistic that, with the assistance of a neutral third-party mediator, the parties can reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” McLain said. 

If mediation doesn’t work, the process would move to fact-finding, which could extend over several months. 

At the same board meeting Jan. 28, Chancellor Melissa Moreno announced a tentative agreement with the California School Employees Association union for member contracts for 2025-28. 

CSEA Chapter 33 President Annette Perot said the resolution came after 10 months of bargaining, and that the classified staff union members stand in support of the members of AFT 1493. 

“Negotiations aren’t easy. They aren’t supposed to be. But in the end, both sides would be able to come together and do better and be better,” Perot said. 

The district has already authorized a contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local chapter.