Negotiations Recap: March 19, 2026
Hi Faculty, Here’s what happened in our last negotiation of Winter term (March 19th):
Our Presence in Bargaining Makes A Difference!
Your presence at bargaining is SO IMPORTANT and it makes a difference! Admin were overheard grumbling about why so many faculty were present, so keep up the good work! Please mark your calendars now to be there at our next meeting:
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When: Thursday, April 2nd | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
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Where: Grandview
Admin Passed Their First Significant Article on Intellectual Property
Administration is essentially starting over with Intellectual Property and is proposing to have joint ownership of ANY of our intellectual property created while “on the clock” or using COCC resources.
They want to claim for their own use any curriculum, materials, resources, videos, etc. so they can give them to other faculty to use if we leave. This proposal opens the door to potentially radically changing how classes are taught and who teaches them.
Context: Dr. Pereira comes from a school with this model of intellectual property and they employ 968 adjunct and 25 FT faculty for a student body of 44,000 (per 2024-25 Rio Saldo Fact Sheet). Your voice on this issue is critical!
Admin Refused Our Proposed Article on AI Protections
They claim that AI is a permissive topic (meaning it doesn’t impact our wages, hours and working conditions and/or isn’t directly related to our work so admin doesn’t have to negotiate with us on this topic if they don’t want to) and they don’t want to limit their management rights.
We all know that AI directly impacts our work and we are already working on a response to this. Again, your input on how AI has impacted your work is important. Please talk to your CAT team member and share your experiences.
What’s Next?
Admin has promised to come to the April 2nd bargaining session with some economic articles, so please plan on attending if you can!
Classified Employee Potential Strike
Our classified union, after a year and a half of bargaining, mediation sessions and good faith attempts to reach a reasonable contract, has voted to strike as soon as April 2nd if they cannot reach an agreement with the college. The results of this action have direct impact on our power and ability to move administration on our contract as well.
The bottom line is that you are required to do your job but you are NOT required to do classified employees' jobs. In order for a strike to work, the administration needs to be uncomfortable and to feel the loss of the classified employees' labor. Please do not enable the college to further minimize the work of our classified colleagues by taking on their work—even if it makes things uncomfortable for students or administrators.
Key Tips for Faculty:
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Follow Lawful Directives: First of all, follow any lawful directives from your supervisor to avoid a scenario in which you could be disciplined for not following orders or being insubordinate.
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Verify Job Consistency: Double-check to see that the things you are being asked to do are consistent with your job description. If not, let Sara Henson and/or your CAT team know.
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Address Workload: If you are being given new/additional work assignments over and above your normal work expectations, you should ask (demand to know) what work is being taken from your plate to compensate for the additional work.
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Reasonable Pace: Work at a reasonable pace. You can only get done what you can get done. If you are unable to meet newly imposed deadlines, inform your supervisor of this (and cc Michael Marchman and Sara Henson).
Showing Support:
We are required to hold classes and we cannot move them off campus. However, we can:
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Join the Classified picket line when we are not working.
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Put supportive signs on our doors.
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Wear CACOCC pins.
Michael Marchman and Sara Henson are always available to talk or come visit your department if you have specific questions about what you should or shouldn’t do. If you want a CACOCC poster or pin, please talk to your CAT team member.
COME TO THE NEXT NEGOTIATION on April 2nd, 3-5 PM in Grandview
In solidarity,