2023-2025 CCAHE contract ratified

Congratulations, CCAHE members. Thanks to your faculty union negotiation team - Sydney Brahmavar, Sarah Kuzera, Laura Nagel, Kushlani DeSoyza, Tyler Frank and Dwight Huges - we've ratified a new two-year contract with 98 percent approval among the voting members. Once the Board of Trustees approves the new contract, it will be posted on this site under Governing Documents. 

New Union Office & t-shirts

CCAHE & WPEA have opened a Union Office in SCI 110. Let us know if you'd like to volunteer to keep the lights on and answer basic questions one or two days each week at the Union Office. (This would be a good opportunity for a part-time faculty member to learn more about the union and utilize a quiet place to work in a spacious office that's furnished with coffee, tea, snacks, fridge and microwave.) 

We'll also be distributing new union t-shirts later this fall in a few different styles - traditional t-shirts, capped sleeve t-shirts (see below) and maybe tank tops. The Senate agreed on "Higher Ed Workers Unite" as it's inclusive of staff as well as faculty. A sign up sheet for sizes/styles will be released soon. 

Legislative news re: CTCs

The BIG NEWS is that college faculty will receive an 8.9% COLA starting in July 1st, and a 5.9% COLA in July 2024. AND this COLA will be FULLY FUNDED by the state.

This is huge win and I believe that the lobbying we did with the College Presidents and AFT really made a difference. This is a change that should be permanent going forward. This means nearly $55 Million in additional dollars going to the CTCs. This isn't 'new money' in the sense that it is bargainable, but it is money that the College's receive and can be used as we  determine. Clark College has been basing our budget projections on this money not being available and now it is. Clark should be adjusting its gloomy budget projections for next year, and now is the time to push back about the need for any proposed RIFs.

Adjunct Faculty Parity Bill—SBCTC has been charged to develop a plan to provide compensation to adjunct faculty that equals or exceeds 85 percent of the compensation provided to comparably qualified full-time and tenured faculty by the 2026-27 academic year. This has no money attached to it, but it should provide us with the $$ amount parity will actually cost, which may help our lobbying efforts in the future. 

Dual Credit Program Support -$7.74 million to provide free College in High School courses to students. This may increase the number of CiHS students taking courses at Clark which may bring in new money, or it may reduce our Running Start enrollments – we don’t know how this is going to impact us yet, but it is an area that we should be looking at for bargaining language around CiHS compensation for involved faculty. 

CTC CiHS pilot - $700,000 for the pilot program that is increasing the CTE offerings in CiHS 

Student Supports – there was a LOT of interest in making College access easier for students this year, and this resulted in a number of new programs and increases to existing programs. These programs should increase enrollments at the CTCs – by how much? Who knows? Which campuses receive these funds will generally be determined by the SBCTC through an allocation model to be determined. 

Postsecondary Student Needs Funding-$5.24 million is provided to implement Second Substitute House Bill 1559 (Postsecondary student needs), and hire 0.75 FTE benefits navigator per CTC campus and a food pilot at four college districts.  

Nursing Education and Support – $9.1 million 

CTC’s Nurse Supply Funding-$882,000 is provided for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to develop a plan to train more nurses and to design and implement an online curriculum and pathway to earn a licensed practical nursing credential, as provided in Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5582 (Nurse supply). Colleges will be applying to access this money. 

CTC’s Nursing Education Funding-$3.6 million is provided to increase the number of slots in nursing programs by 200 in the 2023-25 biennium. We're not sure yet what process will be used to determine which campus these slots will go to, but that will be new money and it could be bargained ie. for new positions  

Faculty Conversions-$4.6 million to continue to implement the provisions in Chapter 272, Laws of 2021 (E2SSB 5194). This is money that was given out in the past to add new positions. This is NOT new money just money to continue to fund those positions 

New Enrollments/Programs–a variety of programs including computer science, public health, journalism, social work and teacher residency. 

CTC’s, Bellingham Technical College Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship $200,000 is provided for Bellingham Technical College for the Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship Program.  

CTC’s Refugee Education $3 million is provided for adult education for refugees and immigrants who have arrived in the state on or after July 1, 2021, and are eligible for federal refugee resettlement services, including those from Afghanistan and Ukraine.  

DEI Initiatives- $4.2 million at CTCs is provided for SBCTC to continue to implement diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) provisions in Chapter 275, Laws of 2021 (E2SSB 5227). Not new money. 

PEBB contract is funded. Monthly employer rates for the next two fiscal years are budgeted at $1,160 and $1,233 per employee per month. 

Funding is provided for a standalone vision benefit in PEBB non-Medicare health plans beginning in plan year 2025 for a 100 percent employer paid benefit. This should provide higher vision benefit levels at lower cost and align with the School Employees' Benefits Board (SEBB). 

CTCs will continue to receive the same Nursing high demand and general high demand allocations they received in the last biennia. Clark College has been receiving ~$880,000.