American Federation of Teachers Ratify Contract at City College of San Francisco

The Faculty union of City College of San Francisco has approved a new contract that will be in effect through June 2015. Citing hard work, a collective effort to resolve issues and restore some of what had been lost in past years, Dr. Art Tyler, Chancellor for the multi-campus college, thanked the Faculty union, its representatives, bargaining team and members for ratifying this new contract. The union represents teachers, librarians and counselors at the college’s main campus and eight instructional centers. “I want to acknowledge the faculty, and administrators who worked long hours to reach this agreement and move it forward to its positive conclusion. The commitment of all employee groups at City College reflects confidence in our future and the energy to make real, positive change,” said Chancellor Tyler.

Turn out for this vote was 40% higher than for any contract ratification vote in the last ten years, and of those, 82.5% voted in favor of the new contract. AFT Chapter President, Alisa Messer ads, "This is the highest voter turnout in the history of our union, and hundreds of our members have been involved in the process, many of them witnessing negotiations and state mediation first-hand. After nearly a year without a contract, we're pleased to have the stability of an agreement that will take us collectively through the next couple of years. We know that there is much more to do and to build upon; thankfully, City College facult are incredibly dedicated-- and are anything but complacent." The high level of participation in this vote is attributed to a strong collective desire of the faculty to see City College grow and retain its accreditation and its reputation as a premier California community college.