July 16, 2026
Dear faculty colleagues,
actfindingOur negotiations team wrapped up Day 2 of our fact-finding hearing Tuesday night after 11pm. After two days and ~24 hours of presentations and negotiations, we were unable to reach agreement with the District on a contract that would provide faculty with (1) Fair pay, (2) Equal pay for equal work, and (3) Academic Freedom. Although we were unable to reach an agreement last night, we are hopeful that the incredible amount of effort we put in to advocate for faculty needs to the fact-finding panel will lay the groundwork for us to reach a fair contract agreement with the District.
What comes next: we continue strike preparations for Fall semester. The factfinder has up to30 days to issue written recommendations based on the evidence submitted by both parties. When the factfinder sends his nonbinding recommendations to both parties, they remain confidential for 10 days, during which time the parties will negotiate again. If we settle a contract during that time, the factfinder’s recommendations are never publicly released. If we don’t settle a contract before the expiration of that 10-day window, the factfinding report can be made public.
Legal Right to Strike: the expiration of that 10-day window mentioned above is also when our faculty gain our legal right to go on strike. The timing of the first day of our strike will be decided by our Strike Team and AFT Executive Committee. For now, I will just say that Labor Day is September 7th, and there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about going on strike coming out of Labor Day weekend, don’t you think?
Can you join our Strike Team meeting Wednesday, July 29th at 11am on zoom? We have ~1,000 faculty to get organized, and every single member of our union has a crucial role to play to prepare and execute a strike if we can’t reach agreement on a contract. Our Strike Team will be discussing the timing of a strike, logistics, communications, FAQs, and more. Even if you can’t make it on July 29th, can you let us know you’re willing to pitch in? Email Strike Captains / AFT President & Vice President Ben Feldman & Luis Zuniga so they can get you plugged in. feldman@aft1493.org, zuniga@aft1493.org.
Our fight for a fair contract continues!
In Solidarity,
Chet Lexvold
AFT 1493 Executive Director
