AFT President’s Report - June 16, 2026 - BoT
Good afternoon, Trustees, President Singh, members of the administration, faculty, staff, and students.
My name is Scott Haddock, and I am still the President of the Edmonds College Federation of Teachers, Local 4254. This will be my final report to the Board of Trustees as President. I want to begin by expressing my appreciation for the opportunity to serve in this role and to represent the faculty of this college. It’s been challenging, meaningful, exhausting, occasionally absurd, and deeply important work.
Over the past six years, I’ve spent approximately half of that time in contract negotiations. That’s a significant portion of anyone’s professional life, and it reflects both the complexity of the issues facing faculty and the importance of the relationship between labor and management at Edmonds College. Contract negotiations are never just about salary schedules. They’re about workload, professional respect, student support, institutional priorities, and the conditions under which faculty do their best work.
Our current bargaining process has been slow but steady. The teams are very close to completing work on Appendix F, which addresses the self-support English Language Institute. The union has provided almost all of its proposals to administration, and we have scheduled three collective bargaining sessions during the summer quarter. Traditionally, bargaining pauses for the summer and reconvenes at the end of September or the beginning of October. This year, however, both sides are making a strong effort to keep the process moving, with the goal of completing bargaining before the end of the fall quarter. We’ve also signed a memorandum of understanding extending the current collective bargaining agreement, which was set to expire at the end of June, through the end of December.
During my time as union president, I’ve seen faculty carry this institution through uncertainty, enrollment and teaching-modality changes, leadership transitions, public health disruptions, accreditation demands, budget pressures, and increasingly complex student needs. Faculty have done that while teaching, advising, mentoring, redesigning curriculum, serving on committees, supporting programs, and maintaining the academic quality that our students deserve.
I also want to recognize that the transition from COVID lockdowns to where we are today did not happen by accident. It required sustained collaboration among faculty leadership, college leadership, and shared governance. My work with President Singh and the Faculty Senate President during that period helped us move through some of the most difficult operational and academic challenges this institution has ever faced. That collaboration was not always easy, but it was necessary, and it reflected what Edmonds College can accomplish when we work across roles with a shared commitment to students and institutional stability.
I’m proud of the work our union has done. I’m also proud of the faculty who have remained committed to this college even when the work has been hard and the path forward has not always been clear. Edmonds College is strongest when faculty expertise is respected, when shared governance is meaningful, and when disagreement is understood as part of institutional problem-solving rather than as disloyalty.
I also want to briefly address the recent ICE enforcement action that occurred in front of Snoqualmie Hall last Saturday. That incident understandably caused terror among students, faculty, and staff, as you’ve already heard. In moments like that, timely, accurate, and transparent communication is essential. When people do not receive clear information, they naturally try to fill in the gaps, and rumors and speculation can spread quickly. That helps no one. In addition, students and employees need to be immediately reminded of where they can receive our support. I’m referring to counseling services and the Employment Assistance Program (EAP), among others. I also wish to remind faculty and staff that the Federation has posted online a one hour workshop with Lola Zakharova, an immigration law attorney, edmonds faculty, and student graduate from edmonds college. In addition, we have made cards on immigrant legal rights that will be placed in the college library, both in spanish and english.
Earlier today, I met with Vice President for HR Suzanne Moreau, Vice President for Instruction Kim Chapman, to discuss this matter. Also present were incoming union Vice Presidents of Action and Advocacy Jackie Sheppard and Leslie Rossman. The conversation was constructive and focused on how faculty and administration can work together when events affect our campus community. We agreed that collaboration and teamwork make good sense so that management and faculty can address these matters with one voice whenever possible.
To that end, administration and union leadership have agreed to meet regularly, starting early this summer, to collaborate, identify areas of concern, and address opportunities for improvement. I appreciate that commitment. It reflects the kind of practical, student-centered collaboration that our college needs no more than ever.
I also want to recognize the work we’ve done to rebuild and strengthen our relationship with AFT Washington. For many years, that connection had not been as strong or as consistent as it needed to be. Over the past several years, we’ve built a much more solid foundation with AFT Washington, and that’s important for our members, our advocacy, and our ability to respond effectively when challenges arise.
Although this is my final report as local president, my work will continue. Having spent over 30 years as a practicing labor and employment law attorney in California and Washington, this work is a part of me now. So I’ll continue serving on the AFT Washington Executive Board as Vice President for Legal Defense, and I’ll also continue serving locally on the Contract Administration Committee, as I have for 12 years. So while this is a transition, it’s definitely not a goodbye to the work.
As I leave this role, my hope is that Edmonds College continues to build a culture where communication is timely, faculty and staff voices are valued, students are protected and supported, and difficult conversations are handled with transparency and respect. We don’t have to agree on everything to work together effectively. But we do have to trust that everyone at the table is committed to the mission of this college.
I want to thank the faculty I’ve had the privilege to represent. I also want to thank the incoming union leadership team, including the new AFT President, Chuck Mueller, who will bring new energy, perspective, and commitment to this work. I have great confidence in all of them.
Finally, I want to thank the Board for hearing faculty reports over the years. These reports are incredibly important to us. They’re one of the only regular opportunities for faculty concerns, faculty accomplishments, and faculty perspectives to be placed directly before the governing body of the college.
It has been an honor to serve as union president. I remain, as always, committed to Edmonds College, to our students, and to the faculty and staff who make this institution worthy of its mission.
Thank you.