All of the faculty of Edmonds College got paid last week, but the Nursing faculty still have not received one-fifth of their salary. The college administration still has not given our Nursing faculty the high-demand salary enhancements that are mandated by the Workforce Education Investment Act and paid for by the state of Washington. The state has given the college money to pay part of the salary for our nursing educators, and the college administration unilaterally decided to keep that money.
Dr. Singh and others in the administration have responded to the union saying that the administration has requested to bargain. The union position is that the salary enhancements for Nursing faculty can still be paid while negotiations are happening because the college has received the money from the state that pays for them. But, in the interest of addressing the administration’s position, let’s take a look at the timeline for this bargaining process.
June 30, 2025: At 4:30 pm, the Edmonds College administration notified the faculty union that, because the funding had been modified, “this contract provision will be renegotiated.” This request was sent when faculty are not on contract between the Spring and Summer Quarters.
July 10, 2025: The Nursing faculty receive their paycheck, discovering that the college ceased paying the high demand enhancements. No notice was provided to these faculty that their salary would be reduced.
August 13, 2025: Both parties (union and administration) meet for the first time to bargain. No resolution was reached and the college administration continued to withhold payments. The administration team came to the table with no written proposal, but promised to have a written proposal submitted to the union within one week of this meeting.
September 26, 2025: The union and college administration scheduled a bargaining meeting for this date, but no written proposal was submitted by the college administration. The administration team asked for an additional extension of one week, to October 3, to provide a written proposal.
It is clear to us that the college administration is stalling. The union position is that all eligible faculty, including the Nursing faculty, should continue to receive their high-demand salary enhancements as the contract requires. The college administration, who believes the contract needs to be adjusted, has not brought their proposed changes to the bargaining table in the six weeks since bargaining began.
Move Forward!
The union demands that the college administration stop stalling and move forward! These Nursing faculty are losing one-fifth of their pay in each paycheck while these negotiations continue. This same administration spent two years negotiating our last contract, so they are no stranger to this stalling tactic.
Union Action
While the administration continues to stall the bargaining process, the faculty union is actively addressing this issue.
- Union members have contacted Rep. Cindy Ryu of the 32nd legislative district, which includes Edmonds College, to inform her about the college withholding these state-funded salary enhancements.
- Officials in the state AFT have contacted Sen. Drew Hansen, one of the authors of the Workforce Education Investment Act, to inform him that Edmonds College is keeping the funds that were allocated to the college to pay Nursing faculty salaries.
- Members of the union have contacted Sen. Noel Frame to inform her about this ongoing problem.
- Nursing faculty member and union member Taylor Smith spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting on September 18, 2025, to inform them about this issue.
When We Fight, We Win!
The union has organized tabling events to inform faculty, staff, and students about this and other bargaining issues that will come up during our collective bargaining sessions this year. Come find us in the lobby of Mountlake Terrace Hall or Hazel Miller Hall from 9 - 11 am on Mondays and Tuesdays to learn the latest information about these issues and find out how you can help!
If you want to join the fight, contact our VP for Action and Advocacy, Chuck Mueller, at cmmuelle@gmail.com.