We did the math. Here is the true cost of AFT’s economic proposal.

* This means that in Year 1 (the current academic year), part-time instructional faculty would receive 0.75% higher pay increase than full-timers to help us advance toward parity because we can’t move to pay-by-load this year.

Compensation

Background:
According to the District, the cost of 1% is $1,020,000 (1).  According to AFT’s calculations, it’s below $1 million.  For simplicity, we assume here that the cost of 1% is $1 million.  

Calculation:  At a cost of $1 million for each 1% increase, the cost of increases of 7%, 6.25% and 4.25% in years 1, 2 and 3 respectively, for a total of 18% over three years, represents $18 million.

Part-time Pay Parity, paid by load

Background: 
The District estimated the cost of part-time faculty salaries in 2025-2026 at $25.5 million (1).  The District informed AFT that benefits for part-time faculty are estimated at 12% of salaries.

In the current adjunct instructional lecture schedule (HC), the parity level is different for each of the 125 cells (5 columns by 25 steps).  AFT calculated that, on average, the adjunct instructional lecture schedule (HC), is at 80.48% parity, with some cells as low as 74.6% and others around 83%.

Calculation:

Year 1: AFT proposed that instructional part-time faculty receive an additional 0.75% pay increase to the current HC schedule, to help us advance towards parity.  0.75% of 25.5 million is $0.76 million (rounded up to $0.8 million).

Years 2 and 3: instructional part-time faculty would no longer be paid hourly, but instead, AFT proposed that they be paid by load, while continuing to move towards parity in year 2 and finally achieving it in year 3.

In year 2, AFT proposed that every part-time instructional faculty be paid by load (i.e., by FLC) at 83% of the corresponding full-time salary.  Paying instructional adjuncts at 83% parity would cost $26.30 million (25.5 million * 83 / 80.48).

The cost for the salary increase is the difference between paying at 83% and the current cost of $25.5 million, that is, $26.3 – $25.5 = $0.8 million.  With the added cost of benefits at 12%, the total increase in year 2 will be $0.8 million * 1.12 = $0.9 million.

Similar calculations for year 3 with 85% parity yield a salary cost of $26.93 million ($25.5 million *85 / 80.48). The cost of the salary difference in year 3 is $1.43 million ($26.93 – $25.5).  When we add the cost of benefits at 12%, the total increase in year 3 will be $1.6 million ($1.43 million * 1.12).

Adding the cost of the increases for all three years of the contract, reaching the 85% parity goal while paying adjunct instructional faculty by load has a total cost of $3.3 million.  

Overload Parity, paid by load:

Background:

According to the District, “Current projected expenditure for full-time faculty teaching overload in FY 25 = $4,500,000.” (1)

The District stated that the benefit rate for overload pay is 20% (1).

The District shared with AFT a list of faculty who were paid for overload.

The District shared with AFT the course schedules for each of the three colleges, for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, which included the names of faculty teaching each section.

Calculation:
AFT went through the entire enrollment reports for each college for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. We summed up the overload each faculty member performed in AY 2024-2025, expressed in FTEF.  (AFT even added faculty who were not in the listing that the District had provided as having paid them overload, but who actually taught overload according to their teaching assignments in AY 2024-2025.)  For each faculty, we looked up their annual salary based on their actual step and column.  We then calculated how much each faculty would get paid if they were paid at 83% parity (year 2) and at 85% parity (year 3).

For year 2 of the contract, using the 2024-2025 course schedule, the District would pay $5 million in overload salaries at 83% parity.  In year 3, the cost of overload salaries would be $5.2 million.  For the duration of the contract under negotiations, the total cost of overload salaries would be $10.2 million.  

Since the District’s cost for overload in AY2024-2025 was $4.5 million, if there were no changes, the District would spend $9 million in overload salaries over two academic years.

The difference between the current District spending on overload and the estimated cost of per-load pay on overload is $1.2 million ($10.2 million – $9 million).  Adding the cost of benefits at 20% brings the total cost of overload for Fall and Spring semesters of two academic years to $1.5 million ($1.2 million * 1.2).

To account for overload during summer term, we decided to estimate the cost as the same as for regular semesters, although we believe that this is an over-estimation.

Therefore, if we include summer as a third term equal in cost to fall and spring semesters, the total cost for overload salaries and benefits needs to be increased by 50%, resulting in $2.25 million over the life of the contract ($1.5 million *1.5).

Healthcare

Background:

Kaiser 2-party monthly cost in 2026: $2337.72.  Number of faculty in this plan:  54.

Kaiser family monthly cost in 2026: $3039.04.  Number of faculty in this plan:  105.

The current District contribution towards premiums is set at 88% of the cost for 2-party and family Kaiser plans, or $2057.19 and $2674.36 respectively.

Calculation:

With AFT’s proposal that the District contribute 92% of the cost for 2-party and family Kaiser plans, the monthly difference would be $93.51 and $121.56 respectively, or $1122.11 and $1458.74 annually.  

The increase in cost for the 54 faculty on 2-party plans would be $60594 annually.  For the 105 faculty in family plans, the increase in cost would be $153168 annually.  Therefore, the total annual increase would amount to $213762.  Since the proposed 92% would start in January 2026, it will affect 2.5 years of the contract.  Thus, the total increase in healthcare premiums for the life of the contract will be $0.5 million ($213762 * 2.5). 

See the costing of medical benefits as a table in reference (2).

Appendix F

Lab FLC Increases:

Background:

The District provided AFT data with FTEFs for labs separate from overall FTEF only for Cañada College.

The District provided AFT the total FTEF for each college in Spring 2025:

• Cañada: 109 FTEFs
• CSM: 201 FTEFs
• Skyline: 163 FTEFs

Average cost of 1 FTEF per semester (15 FLC) provided by the District:  $41,500 (1)

The District quotes a benefits rate of 15% for salaries associated with labs. (1)

Calculation:

In Spring 2025, at Cañada College, labs currently loaded at 0.8 FLC represent 12 FTEF, while labs currently loaded at 0.7 FLC account for 0.37 FTEF.  AFT’s proposal brings these labs to 0.95 FLC. Offering the same number of sections would require additional 2.41 FTEF (labs at 0.8 FLC would be increased by 19%, and labs at 0.7 would be increased by 36%, so 12 FTEF * 0.19 + 0.37 FTEF * 0.36 = 2.41 FTEF).  

Cañada’s increase of 2.41 FTEF represents 2.21% of its total 109 FTEF as a college.  Assuming that CSM and Skyline have similar proportion of labs to their total FTEF, we estimated that, in order to offer the same number of sections at the increased lab FLC  that AFT’s proposed, CSM would need to add 4.44 FTEF (201 FTEF * 0.0221) and Skyline would need an additional 3.60 FTEF (163 FTEF * 0.0221).  The total FTEF increase for the three colleges is then 10.45 FTEF (2.41 + 4.44 + 3.6).

According to the District, the average cost of 1 FTEF per semester (15 FLC) is $41500.  If we multiply the additional 10.45 FTEF needed per semester by the cost of 1 FTEF per semester, we obtain the cost of this proposal at $433,700 per semester (10.45 * $41500).  The salary cost over years 2 and 3 is obtained by multiplying the cost for one semester by 4:  $433,700 * 4 = $1,734,802.  Finally, we must add the cost of benefits at 15%:  $1,734,802 * 1.15 = $1,995,002, which we round up to $2 million.

Calculus class size at 26 students max

Background:

The District provided AFT the Spring 25 enrollment reports.

Average cost of 1 FTEF per semester (15 FLC):  $41500 (1)

The District quotes a benefits rate of 15% for salaries associated with labs. (1)

Calculation:
For each college, we added the number of students enrolled in MATH 251 and MATH 252 in Spring 2025.  Based on section offerings and enrollments in MATH 251, if class size was capped at 26 students, no additional sections would be needed.  For MATH 252, two additional sections would have been needed at CSM, and three at Cañada.  These five sections would require an increase of 1.67 FTEF per semester (5 sections * 5 FLC / 15).  At a cost of $41500 per FTEF, this proposal represents $69305 per semester (1.67 * $41500), or $277,220 for two years.  When we add 15% for benefits, the total for this proposal comes to $318,803, or $0.3 million.

English Composition at 1.25 FLC per contact hour:

Background:

The District provided AFT the Spring ‘25 enrollment reports.

Average cost of 1 FTEF per semester (15 FLC):  $41500 (1)

The District quotes a benefits rate of 15% for salaries associated with labs. (1)

Calculation:
We summed up the total FLCs of all composition classes (ENG100, 105, 110, 165) taught in Spring 2025 across the District.  Cañada’s 133 FLCs, CSM’s 263 and Skyline’s 162 total 558 FLCs district-wide.  Loading these classes at 1.25FLC would create additional 139.5 FLCs (558 FLC / 4) or 9.3 FTEF per semester (139.5 FTEF / 15).  At a cost of $41,500 per FTEF per semester, with the added cost of benefits at 15%, the cost of English Composition FLC adjustment for two years will be $1,775,370 (9.3 FTEF * $41500 * 1.15 * 4 semesters), or $1.8 million.

The total of these three FLC adjustment proposals in Appendix F (Labs $2 million, Math $0.3 million and English $1.8 million) is $4.1 million.

References

1. District document: Cost Estimate AFT Article 8913 and Appendix F.pdf

2. Cost of AFT proposal for Medical Benefits