The first negotiation between the Grossmont College District and the American Federation of Teachers Guild, Local 1931, representing the interests of Grossmont faculty, was held Thursday, May 9. Each party brings a contract proposal, and the District’s included maximum class size increases, more restrictive bonuses for class size and, for certain faculty, the restriction of remote work.

A Grossmont Governing Board meeting on Tuesday, May 14 saw 40 minutes of public comment from 19 faculty members criticizing the district proposal. The impact of faculty contracts on students may seem abstract, but among the concerns expressed, the commenters said current data indicates increasing class size would hurt student outcomes.

As this school year ends, there are funds from the State of California for cost-of-living salary adjustments that must be distributed based on these negotiations.

“The timing is not ideal,” said Judd Curran, Instructor of Geography and member of the Grossmont AFT Guild Executive Leadership Council. Though this exchange is coming at the end of the semester, Curran said previous boards at Grossmont could stall negotiations for years. He added, “We don’t feel like the district was intentionally dragging on negotiations.”

The level of dissent from faculty seemed to have an effect. One week after the initial contract offering, the District withdrew its proposal, leaving only the Guild’s proposal, though negotiations will continue on that version of the contract.

Some elements have been agreed to by both parties while talks go forward. For items that have not yet been ratified by faculty, Curran said, “If the parties don’t agree to make changes, the existing contract continues to be the instrument that everyone follows.

“It’s really great to see faculty coming together to take collective action.”