Strike Info & FAQ

Student Guide

scftunion.org

TRANSPARENCY NOTICE: SCFT Local 1533 has replaced our previous negotiations page with this comprehensive dashboard in direct response to the State Center Community College District's ongoing lack of transparency and attempts to reshape the facts surrounding contract bargaining.

To counter administrative propaganda and direct-bargaining emails, this page serves as the public, factual record—providing side-by-side proposal comparisons, clear context, and complete article downloads for all faculty, students, and taxpayers.

OUR COMMITMENT TO THE PROCESS: BARGAINING GROUND RULES

At the onset of negotiations, SCFT and the SCCCD signed official Ground Rules outlining how bargaining would be conducted. Under the Communications section of these rules, both teams agreed to keep constituents informed with reports that are "truthful and designed to be informative of the bargaining process."

SCFT takes this responsibility seriously. This comprehensive tracker is our commitment to fulfilling that rule, ensuring faculty and the community have access to the factual, written record.

• Signed Bargaining Ground Rules — Dec 18, 2024 Click to View

TRANSPARENCY REGARDING THE BARGAINING PROCESS

The collective bargaining process should not happen behind closed doors. SCFT believes our greatest strength is an informed and united faculty.

While many of our communications explain why we are fighting, this page spells out exactly what the fight is about. As we move through the state mediation process, it is important that our faculty, our students, and the Board of Trustees know exactly what we are asking for and exactly where the Administration stands on these issues.

District Communications Notice: The District continues attempting to bargain directly with faculty through email updates. These communications are not endorsed by SCFT. They often include disingenuous comparisons with colleges that are not comparable to us or are also currently in negotiations. They are propaganda designed to divide faculty.

MEDIATION STATUS & BARGAINING TIMELINE

We have exhausted direct negotiations and have been working through the legal mediation process for months due to the District's ongoing refusal to offer competitive terms.

Spring 2026 (Pre-Impasse Mediation): We engaged in pre-impasse mediation sessions on April 9, April 23, and May 7 with a state mediator in a good-faith attempt to resolve issues early.

Summer 2026 (State Mediation Begins): After early efforts failed to produce a fair contract, an official Impasse was declared, and state-appointed mediation was held July 30, August 24 and September 2.

October 2026 (Current Standstill): Following schedule coordination, the state mediator has identified four tentative meeting dates (Oct 8, Oct 20, Oct 28, and Oct 29). While SCFT has agreed to every single date, we have yet to receive any confirmation from the District on whether they are able to participate. Our goal is to reach an agreement on a contract our faculty deserve or be released directly to Fact Finding, where we believe the facts will speak for themselves.

Our Commitment & Next Steps: SCFT is attending every single session ready to bargain in good faith to finally secure the contract our faculty and students deserve.

However, these sessions are placeholders for genuine progress, not endless stalling. If the District refuses to make meaningful movement on our core C.A.P. platform (Compensation, Autonomy, Parity) during these October meetings, mediation will conclude and we will proceed directly into Fact-Finding.

During Fact-Finding, an independent neutral will chair a three-person panel and publicly evaluate the District’s $300M reserves and financial facts.

PROTECTING FACULTY: HOW TO FLIP THE SCRIPT

SCFT hears that threats are being made to faculty regarding contract negotiations. Whether intended or not, faculty need to hold their administrators to a higher standard and "FLIP the administrator’s SCRIPT."

We expect administrators to embrace servant leadership, which means:

• No Threatening: Administrators should not be saying things like, "If the contract gets approved we will have to cut back part-time loads, pass expenses to categorically funded programs, and reduce or let go of current faculty."
• Responsibility & Accountability: Balancing the budget is a minimal task. Administrators must fight for the funding and allocations that a college has earned and deserves.
• Stand Up Against the District: Your entire college administrative team should be collaborating to fight for the resources that the District Office continues to withhold from the employees who generate that funding.

Ask your administrator:

"What are you doing to hold the District accountable

and fight for more funding?"

We are asking for competitive compensation that puts us on the same footing as comparable Central Valley community colleges and is reflective of the work our faculty have done to make us the best in the state.

Below is the complete story of our current contract negotiations, focused on our core C.A.P. Platform (Compensation, Autonomy, Parity).

The Reality: The District sits on over $300 million in combined reserves and receives fully funded Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) from the state.

For 2026-2027, "Fully Funded COLA"includes the Statutory COLA (2.87%) plus a discretionary COLA approved by the State (1.44%)

"Statutory COLA" is merely the baseline inflation-based rate. The District receives the fully funded amount from the State of California, but refuses to pass that full amount on to the faculty who earned it as COLA, let alone provide an additional percentage on top from their reserves... As you can see below, their most recent counteroffer reflects this fact.

DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL PROPOSALS: COMPENSATION

• SCFT Economic Proposal — Articles 19A/19B, Articles 21A/21B, Schedules A/B/C click to view
• District Economic Counter-Proposal — May 18, 2026 click to view
• SCFT vs. District Side-by-Side Salary Schedules click to view
• Comparable Community College Salary Comparison Data click to view



The Reality: Faculty dedicate hundreds of unpaid hours to creating original course materials. Furthermore, contract instructors teaching high school Dual Enrollment courses must be classified as employees to uphold safety and regulatory standards.

DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL PROPOSALS: AUTONOMY

• SCFT Proposal — Article 13 Intellectual Property (Feb 12, 2026) click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Article 13 Intellectual Property (Feb 26, 2026) click to view
• SCFT Proposal — Articles 17A/17B Dual Enrollment (Jan 29, 2026) click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Articles 17A/17B Dual Enrollment (Feb 12, 2026) click to view

Parity (Equal Pay for Equal Work)

The Reality: The District relies heavily on part-time faculty to keep the colleges running but refuses to pay them for the vital work they do outside of class.

 DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL PROPOSALS: PARITY & WORKLOAD

• SCFT Proposal — Articles 16A/16B Hours, Workload & Parity (April 23, 2026) click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Articles 16A/16B Workload (May 7, 2026) click to view

In addition to our C.A.P. Platform, discussions remain active on the following articles:

Article 18A / 18B (Faculty Evaluations): Both parties have exchanged updated proposals (most recently May 7, 2026) to modernize evaluation forms and procedures for full-time and part-time instructors.

• SCFT Proposal — Article 18A/18B Evaluations click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Article 18A/18B Evaluations click to view

Article 20 (Class Advancement): Proposals exchanged regarding salary schedule movement criteria and unit qualifications.

• SCFT Proposal — Article 20 Class Advancement click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Article 20 Class Advancement click to view

Article 27 (Grievance Procedure): Proposals exchanged to improve timelines and enforcement for contractual violations.

• SCFT Proposal — Article 27 Grievance Procedure click to view
• District Counter-Proposal — Article 27 Grievances click to view



STATUS ON HEALTHCARE BENEFITS

The Reality: The District attempted to pass exorbitant healthcare premium hikes onto faculty. While MOUs are finally in place, the District delayed providing them by two to three months. This was a completely unnecessary delay that is now causing unwarranted, inappropriate paycheck deductions and a massive, stressful debacle for our faculty. We are demanding the District immediately reactivate Open Enrollment so faculty can correct their plans.

DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL PROPOSALS: HEALTHCARE

• Signed Full-Time/Part-Time Healthcare MOU (2026–2027) click to view
• Signed Part-Time Healthcare Pilot Program MOU (2026–2027) click to view
• SCFT Economic Proposal — Articles 19A/19B, Articles 21A/21B, Schedules A/B/C click to view

SIGNED TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS (TAs) TO DATE

The following articles have been successfully negotiated and signed as Tentative Agreements (TAs). They are finalized and will be integrated into the new contract upon final settlement:

Strike Info & FAQ

Student Guide

scftunion.org