Frustrated with stalled contract negotiations, 94 percent of the custodians, public safety officers and dispatchers at City College of San Francisco voted to authorize a strike on Thursday, according to SEIU Local 1021, which represents the school’s 400 or so staff members.
For similar reasons, AFT 2121, a union that represents more than 1,000 CCSF teachers, librarians and counselors, also launched a strike commitment card campaign this week. If negotiations with management break down, they will move for a strike authorization vote.
Both unions say they will “move forward according to the response from Chancellor David Martin and his team’s behavior in bargaining.” The latter, according to the unions, has refused to explain their proposals, share financial information in a timely manner or make “reasonable compromises.”
“We urge Chancellor Martin to show respect for the voices of educators and classified workers and embrace his role as a leader of City College and its vital place in the hearts of San Francisco,” reads a statement from both unions.
Martin has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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In a statement, Alan Wong, president of the school’s board of trustees, an elected group that is charged with overseeing CCSF, said that “I am committed to getting the college administration and labor unions to come to a fair agreement that will balance good wages and benefits for our staff and the long-term financial sustainability of the college.”
City College of San Francisco. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.
Over 200 City College faculty and staff rallied at a parking lot next to the school’s Ocean campus. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.
Over 200 City College faculty and staff rallied at a parking lot next to the school’s Ocean campus. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.- City College of San Francisco. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.
- Over 200 City College faculty and staff rallied at a parking lot next to the school’s Ocean campus. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.
Over 200 City College faculty and staff rallied at a parking lot next to the school’s Ocean campus. Photo by Yujie Zhou, Oct. 26, 2023.
At sunset, more than 200 City College faculty and staff rallied in a parking lot next to the school’s Ocean campus, where its board of trustees’ regular meeting was taking place.
“It’s time for the district to understand that we mean business,” said Justin Genevro, who works in the CCSF art department and is an SEIU shop steward.
The faculty’s prior contract expired in June 2021. Consequently, wages have been stagnant for three years — in some cases, they’ve even decreased. This has made retention and recruitment difficult, according to union reps. The district has proposed a roughly nine percent salary increase over the next three years. The union wants that, too, but also asks the district to share “the cost of living adjustment it has received from the state with faculty,” which amounts to a four percent increase next year.
According to AFT 2121 secretary Robin Pugh, faculty salaries at City College are now near the bottom of “Bay 10,” which consists of 10 Bay Area community colleges. “Most faculty at City College would be, like, eighth or ninth out of 10th in the Bay 10 in terms of their salaries,” she said.
The other sticking point is “severe understaffing.” One of the most important sources for trained nurses in the Bay Area, CCSF’s Registered Nursing Department, for example, has cut enrollment by more than 30 percent due to understaffing. Meanwhile, 3,926 students sat on waitlists for classes prior to the fall semester, according to AFT 2121.
The staff union, whose contract expired in June 2022 and started bargaining this March, faces a similar situation. According to data from SEIU 1021, CCSF custodians, public safety officers and dispatchers are understaffed by 20 percent, 40 percent and 60 percent, respectively.
Reps from both unions said they are frustrated by management negotiators claiming they are not empowered to make decisions. “How the hell are you at the bargaining table if you don’t have no authority? What are you doing? Makes no sense, right?” said Maria Salazar-Colón, president of SEIU 1021’s CCSF chapter. The staff union’s next bargaining session will be held next week.
“Why would you stonewall your two largest labor groups when you actually have the money?” asked Pugh. AFT 2121 and SEIU 1021 represent the vast majority of CCSF workers, and are among the five unions in which CCSF employees participate.
In 2021, CCSF threatened to lay off nearly 200 full-time faculty members, which would have seriously affected the school’s English as a Second Language program, on which thousands of immigrants rely to gain citizenship or find better jobs. The cuts didn’t materialize after concessions from the union.
“We have award-winning educational programs, but they are being threatened by this kind of constant cutting of programs, cutting of staffing and this vision of a smaller college,” said Pugh. “The college, right now, is about 40 percent of the size that it was 10 years ago.”
“We’re supposed to not get a raise this year, again,” said Patricia Castillo, a 13-year counselor at City College, who said the salary of her entry-level colleague with a master’s degree can start at $60,000.
“It’s not just jobs. It’s an impact on our entire community,” she said. “We’re also protecting our community. We’re the shield of them.”
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YUJIE ZHOU
REPORTER. Yujie Zhou is our newest reporter and came on as an intern after graduating from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a full-time staff reporter as part of the Report for America program that helps put young journalists in newsrooms. Before falling in love with the Mission, Yujie covered New York City, studied politics through the “street clashes” in Hong Kong, and earned a wine-tasting certificate in two days. She’s proud to be a bilingual journalist. Follow her on Twitter @Yujie_ZZ.
