October 12, 2026
The Faculty Collective Bargaining Team (FCBT) met with the management team at the bargaining table on Oct 9, 2026.
And they weren’t alone: over a dozen faculty from across campus gathered outside the Clearview Building while the bargaining teams met inside. With buckets, drumsticks, and kazoos, we made some noise in the north side parking lot and along 196th St SW to let management know that faculty are paying attention to what happens at the table. And they heard us: our bargaining team reported that the noise carried right into the room. A dozen people were enough to be heard through the walls. Imagine what we can do with more.
Thank you to everyone who came out! Every person who shows up makes it easier for the next person to join. If you couldn't make it this time, there are more chances coming up. The Action and Advocacy team will send out future organizing activities soon. If you would like to join the Action Team email list and be the first to know about upcoming actions, contact action@aftedmonds.com.
Bargaining Update
Management came to the table with several sections of Article I and one section of Article II to be signed into tentative agreement (TA). Management was notified that the FCBT agreed to TA these sections of the contract on August 10 of this year, meaning it took them two months to agree to TA sections of the contract that were either unchanged from the previous contract language or modified by a counteroffer that they themselves had submitted to the FCBT before August 10.
One win for the faculty union team is that management agreed to TA changes to Section 2.5.4 of the CBA that say that the college will attempt to provide contracts to associate faculty by the first day of the quarter but no later than two weeks after the first class day. We hope this means that our associate faculty will receive their contracts sooner, making their employment less precarious.
Professional Development Funds Discussion
There was some discussion at the table regarding professional development funds for associate faculty. Currently, full-time faculty are allowed to purchase professional development materials like videos, books, and technology with their professional development funds, while associate faculty are not. The union team asked why this is the case, since purchasing a book or a video about their subject certainly helps both associate and full-time faculty with developing their teaching. Members of the management team said they have approved such purchases for associate faculty in the past, but the team as a whole seemed unwilling to allow associate faculty the option to use professional development funds to buy books. One is left to wonder why the management of the college prefers to keep those decisions in the hands of deans.
No Movement on Financial Proposals
There was another spirited discussion at the bargaining table regarding the financial proposals that the union team submitted to the management team. Management asked the union what it would take to come to a deal on the contract as a whole. The FCBT responded by asking for movement on our financial proposals that were submitted on August 10. The union team reminded management that negotiations should be a process of meeting in the middle, where one side makes a proposal and the other side moves towards that position. Instead, management has consistently refused to make any move towards the financial proposals made by the FCBT.
Management stated their belief that movement on non-financial proposals that would still cost the college money was an adequate substitute for increasing the pay of full-time and associate faculty. The union team reminded management that their non-financial proposals will do nothing to help our faculty pay for food and rent.
The FCBT also reminded management that the associate faculty of Edmonds College have a very low percentage of full-time faculty pay per step compared to other colleges in the immediate area. In our current contract, each step of associate faculty pay is 65% of the same step of full-time faculty pay. Other colleges, like Shoreline, have a percentage of 80%, and many other colleges in the area have percentages at 70% or above. In addition, Shoreline will allow their faculty to skip steps when they are hired based on their years of teaching experience, unlike Edmonds College that requires all instructors to start at the first step.
The position of the union is Same Class, Same Pay, meaning associate faculty ought to be paid at 85% of the full-time faculty pay. This position is shared by both the SBCTC and the state legislature. The union encourages management to move towards this goal with our next contract.
Scheduling Discussion
Based on discussions inside the negotiation room and the noise demonstration outside, faculty are not happy with management’s proposal to replace reassigned time for department heads with a small stipend. During a discussion about this proposal, management discussed their plan to improve scheduling. Their claim was that scheduling using the splits is inefficient, because the splits pass through so many hands, meaning errors are more likely to occur. They also blamed the consistent stream of overpayments at the college on the splits. The management team expressed a desire to centralize the scheduling process while still allowing for the same workflow of department faculty deciding on the schedule, the department head reporting that decision to their dean, and the dean approving the schedule. They also wish to make sure someone is verifying the schedule, and they assured the FCBT that it would be a person verifying the schedule, not an AI.
When we fight, we win!
If you have questions about these latest proposals or want to know how you can get involved in the fight for a fair contract, contact the union’s Action and Advocacy team, Jackie Sheppard and Leslie Rossman, at action@aftedmonds.com and the Federation President, Chuck Mueller at president@aftedmonds.com. If you are not receiving emails from the Action and Advocacy team about upcoming events, be sure to share your personal email with them today!