Dear colleagues,

At our AFT membership meeting on September 13th, we asked faculty for direction on how to move forward in our contract campaign. Our negotiating team heard your direction loud and clear and was working to carry out the plans we made at that meeting when we learned that the District had called for impasse.

Impasse is a legally defined term meaning that both sides have reached a standstill and need outside help to come to an agreement. AFT’s negotiating team did not agree with the call for impasse, as we believed we could still reach agreement through regular negotiations. However, according to the law, either side can call for impasse, and the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) can determine that impasse has been reached. PERB made that determination earlier this month, as campus chairs communicated to you.

The determination of impasse opens up a new series of steps, starting with mediation, which is confidential, and then moving to fact-finding. However, there is no obligation to go through all the steps, and we can reach a settlement at any time. We have a mediation session scheduled for this coming Tuesday, October 24th, and are working to reach a Tentative Agreement as soon as possible. We hope you will attend tomorrow’s membership meeting to learn more (see details below); you can also contact your campus reps for more information.

In solidarity,
Your AFT negotiating team