Rally for Fair Wages!
Members of the Edmonds College Federation of Teachers gathered outside the negotiation room in the Clearview Building on campus for the Rally for Fair Wages on April 24, 2026. The rally was organized by the Contract Action Team to support our Faculty Collective Bargaining Team while they submitted their economic proposals to management. The parking lot near the negotiation room echoed with chants of “When we fight, we win!” and demands for a fair contract. Reports from inside the negotiation room indicated that the management team tried to shut us out by closing the blinds in the room, which only encouraged the rally-goers to chant louder to make sure management knows we are watching.
At the rally, VP for Action and Advocacy Chuck Mueller spoke about the imbalance between management and faculty at the college in terms of wages and hiring and the union bargaining team’s priorities for negotiations this year. The Contract Action Team would like to thank all the union members who attended the rally in support of our bargaining team.
Union Wage Proposals
So what did the Faculty Collective Bargaining Team propose during that negotiation session?
- Wage increases for every step in the full-time faculty salary schedule
- Raising associate faculty pay to 80% of the equivalent full-time faculty step
- Opportunities for advancement for faculty beyond step increases based on leadership at the college
- A plan to hire more full-time faculty to support our students and the necessary shared governance work of the college
All of these proposals are designed to give Edmonds College faculty more pay, more support, and better working conditions.
When we fight, we win!
This was our first rally for this negotiation season, but it will definitely not be our last. The Contract Action Team will be holding rallies often to support our bargaining team and demand a swift resolution to the bargaining process. If you want to join us at the next rally, contact the VPs for Action and Advocacy, Leslie Rossman and Chuck Mueller, through their campus email addresses and ask to be added to the Contract Action Team email list. We hope you can join us, because we are stronger together and when we fight, we win!