Dear Ranked Faculty, 

Since our last update on October 15, 2025, the bargaining teams have met twice, on October 17 and October 21. We have one remaining scheduled meeting on October 24th, at which both parties have expressed the goal of finishing negotiations.

At this time, the College has responded to the Union on all articles, and is awaiting responses from the Union on the following:

At our bargaining session on October 10th, the Union team withdrew its proposal on Ombuds. 

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below (italic indicates new agreements since our 10/15/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights
• Faculty governance
• Joint Labor Management Committee
• Non-discrimination
• Course cancellation and low enrollment
• Resignation
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising
• Peer Observation
• No Strike/No Lockout
• Hiring
• Visa Assistance
• Savings
• Chair Reorganization MOU
• Evaluations and Promotions
• Use of Technology

We will provide another update summarizing the bargaining session scheduled for this Friday. 

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Dear Ranked Faculty, 

Since our last update on September 4, 2025, the bargaining teams have met three times, on September 8, September 30, and October 10. We have scheduled an additional three sessions in October.

The college is currently working on responses to the following articles:

The college is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below (italic indicates new agreements since our 9/4/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights
• Faculty governance
• Joint Labor Management Committee
• Non-discrimination
• Course cancellation and low enrollment
• Resignation
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising
• Peer Observation
• No Strike/No Lockout
• Hiring
• Visa Assistance
• Savings
• Chair Reorganization MOU
• Evaluations and Promotions

The two teams are scheduled to continue bargaining on October 17, 2025. We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Dear Ranked Faculty,

Since our last update on July 21, 2025, the bargaining teams have met once on August 21. We have scheduled an additional eight sessions during the months of September and October. 

The college is currently working on responses to the following articles:

The college is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

We also wanted to provide an update regarding the college’s economic package proposal on retirement, professional development funds, salary, and sabbaticals.

The college increased its counter on retirement matching to 3.5% effective this academic year, compared to previous counters which would not have reached 3.5% matching until the 2027-28 academic year. 

Also included in the economic package was a counter on professional development, which establishes a minimum annual budget for faculty development grants, and establishes a process by which ranked faculty administer the grant application and award process.

With regards to salary, the college accepts the union’s concept of moving to a step and grade system for all ranked faculty salaries. At our bargaining session on August 21, we reiterated our last counter from July, which would result in an average salary increase per faculty member of 12.9% in the first year, with percentages of increase for individual faculty members of up to 30.23% above their 2024-25 salary rates. The package proposal also meets the union’s request to set a fixed percentage of increase for promotion to rank reviews (the college has offered 8% or 9.56% depending on the timing of the review; the union initially proposed 7%), as well as setting a consistent year over year increase for the duration of the contract (the college has offered 3%).. 

As outlined in our last message sent on July 21, the college had previously proposed expanding sabbatical access to all ranked renewables. In order to accomplish this change, which represents a 53% increase to the pool of eligible faculty, adjustments to the sabbatical timeline and rate of pay would be necessary for this change to be financially viable. Those proposed adjustments included extending the timeline for sabbatical accrual from three to four years for half sabbaticals and from six to seven years for full sabbaticals, as well as pro-rating compensation for full sabbaticals. This is in alignment with other peer AICAD schools. The union previously rejected the college’s proposals that would make any adjustments to currently eligible faculty’s sabbatical timelines and pay, which the college had proposed to enable all ranked faculty to participate in the sabbatical program. In response, the college proposed on 8/21/25, as part of its economic package, that it maintains the current sabbatical program in the CBA, including timelines, rates of pay, and eligibility.  

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below (italic indicates new agreements since our 7/2125 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights
• Faculty governance
• Joint Labor Management Committee
• Non-discrimination
• Course cancellation and low enrollment
• Resignation
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising
• Peer Observation
• No Strike/No Lockout
• Hiring
• Visa Assistance
• Savings
• Chair Reorganization MOU

The two teams are scheduled to continue bargaining on September 8, 2025. We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Re: Base Salary Rates for 2025-26 Academic Year

Dear Ranked Faculty,

Next week, you will receive your teaching contract for the 2025-26 academic year. As you are aware, the college has been bargaining a first contract with the ranked faculty union since July 2024. Both teams continue to meet and negotiate the terms of their first CBA, including compensation for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

What this means:

• If you did not go through promotion review in the 2024-25 academic year, your base salary is unchanged - the same rate from 2024-25 applies to 2025-26 until the parties reach agreement on their first contract, which would include compensation for the 2025-2026 academic year.
• If you did go through promotion review in the 2024-25 academic year, the increase you receive represents a merit only increase (exclusive of any annual increase due to the ongoing contract negotiations for 2025-26 compensation). You will receive a separate communication regarding the details of your individual increase.

We will continue to provide updates regarding the negotiating process and our progress on a regular basis. Our most recent update is available on Portal here. The Parties’ next scheduled bargaining session is on August 21, 2025. 

Sincerely,

TT Takemoto

Interim Provost

Since our last update, the bargaining teams met on June 26, July 9, July 10, and July 17. To date, the teams have met a total of 24 times. The college is committed along with the union to continue making progress in the bargaining process. 

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles:

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

We also wanted to provide more detail on the college’s economic package proposal on salary, sabbaticals, and retirement. 

The college has expressed in several bargaining sessions that we see a benefit to expanding access to sabbaticals to all ranked faculty members. Doing so would mean increasing the pool of sabbatical eligible faculty by 53% (from 75 to 115 eligible faculty). 

In its counterproposals, including in the college’s last package on several economic items, we proposed making all ranked faculty sabbatical eligible. Doing so represents a 53% increase to the current pool of sabbatical eligible faculty. To do this, while balancing the College’s overall financial commitments–including the proposed economic enhancements described below–we proposed extending the sabbatical accrual timeline from three to four years for a half sabbatical, and from six to seven years for a full sabbatical. The college proposes continuing to compensate half sabbaticals at 100%, and prorating full sabbaticals to 70% compensation. The union has repeatedly rejected this proposal, and countered most recently with expanding sabbatical access to ranked renewables at the full professor rank only, with no adjustment to the timelines or compensation.

Included in the same package was the college’s counter on salary. As part of that proposal, the college has met the union’s request to move all ranked faculty salaries to a grade and step system. With this system, each faculty member will be placed at a grade and step based on their rank and number of years at that rank. To transition to this grade and step system, the college’s counter on salary would result in an average salary increase per faculty member of 12.9% in the first year, with percentages of increase for individual faculty members of up to 30.23% above their 2024-25 salary rates. The package proposal also meets the union’s request to set a fixed percentage of increase for promotion to rank reviews (the college has offered 8% or 9.56% depending on the timing of the review; the union initially proposed 7%), as well as setting a consistent year over year increase for the duration of the contract (the college has offered 3%). The union countered this proposal with a 5.5% year over year increase, more than double the annual increases that the college has historically offered. The union’s counter represents an increase of 14.84% to the faculty salaries budget for unit members in the first year, the cost of which is not realistic given significant declines in enrollment.  

As part of this overall economic package, the college aligned with the union’s last proposal on increasing percentage of employer matching for 403b contributions from the current 2.5% to 3% in 2025-26, and 3.5% in 2027-28. 

The final component of the economic package relates to retirement incentives. The college countered the union’s proposal of one line of release in a faculty member’s final year of employment with up to 100% release dependent on the timing of the retirement relative to the faculty member’s last paid leave. 

The college believes its package on economics is a generous and responsible offer, especially given the college’s ongoing deficit as well as an anticipated decrease in enrollment. 

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below (italics indicates new agreements since our 6/20/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights
• Faculty governance
• Joint Labor Management Committee
• Non-discrimination
• Course cancellation and low enrollment
• Resignation
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising
• Peer Observation
• No Strike/No Lockout
• Hiring

The two teams are scheduled to continue bargaining on August 21, 2025. We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Since our last update, the bargaining teams met on April 11th, April 18th, April 25th, May 9th, and June 18th. To date, the teams have met a total of 20 times, and have five additional bargaining sessions scheduled between June 26 and August 21. The college is committed along with the union to continue making progress in the bargaining process. 

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles:

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles (asterisk indicates a new article since our 3/25/25 update):

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below (italics indicates new agreements since our 3/25/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights
• Faculty governance
• Joint Labor Management Committee
• Non-discrimination
• Course cancellation and low enrollment

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

The bargaining teams met last Friday on April 11th. To date, the teams have met a total of 16 times, and have two additional bargaining sessions scheduled in April. The college is committed along with the union to continue making progress in the bargaining process. 

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles (italics indicates a new article since our 3/26/25 update):

• Sabbatical leave of absence (union proposed) - defines sabbatical eligibility, application, and award process as well as the sabbatical benefit. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. (bargaining since 8/5/24)
• Course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. (bargaining since 9/25/24; 12 drafts exchanged)
• Service (union proposed) - defines service activities and expectations and a process for assigning and tracking. (bargaining since 2/7/25)
• Non-Discrimination (union proposed) - defines the college's non-discrimination and accommodation policies (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• No Strike / No Lockout (college proposed) - establishes that bargaining unit members will not participate in a strike nor will the college lock out workers for the duration of the contract (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as proposed participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. (bargaining since 8/28/24)
• Use of Technology (union proposed) - establishes a policy regarding recording, use f faculty voice and likeness, and use of artificial intelligence in classes. (bargaining since 4/11/25)
• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management (bargaining since 7/22/24)
• Retirement benefits (union proposed) - outlines a stepped increase to 403(b) matching over the next three academic years. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. (bargaining since 9/25/24
• Retirement Incentive (union proposed) - Faculty who are age sixty (60) or older and have ten (10) or more years of service, and who submit an irrevocable notice of retirement by July 1 for the following academic year, shall be granted a workload reduction of one (1) line without loss of compensation during their final academic year of employment. (bargaining since 3/21/25)

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

• Salary (union proposed) - defines a step system with rates of pay for the next three academic years. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Benefits (union proposed) - defines eligibility for benefits plans and contributions and costs for benefits. (bargaining since 2/28/25)
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising (union proposed) - defines compensation for assigned independent studies and thesis advising. (bargaining since 2/28/25)
• Visa Assistance (union proposed) - The union proposes that the college provide visa and green card assistance for international faculty. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Discipline (union proposed) - Union proposes that discipline and termination is for just cause as well as processes for notification of discipline. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Hiring (union proposed) - Union proposes a process by which faculty would be able to apply for non-teaching assignments that receive release or stipends. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues. (bargaining since 7/11/24)
• Evaluations and promotion (union proposed) - outlines faculty evaluation criteria and process for promotion reviews. (bargaining since 1/24/25)
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. (bargaining since 10/11/24)

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below: 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Dear ranked faculty,

The bargaining teams met last Friday on March 21st. To date, the teams have met a total of 15 times, and have three bargaining sessions scheduled in April. The union just completed delivering its economic proposals at Friday’s meeting. The college is committed along with the union to continue making progress in the bargaining process. 

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles (italics indicates a new article since our 3/5/25 update):

• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management (bargaining since 7/22/24)
• Salary (union proposed) - defines a step system with rates of pay for the next three academic years. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Retirement benefits (union proposed) - outlines a stepped increase to 403(b) matching over the next three academic years. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Benefits (union proposed) - defines eligibility for benefits plans and contributions and costs for benefits. (bargaining since 2/28/25)
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising (union proposed) - defines compensation for assigned independent studies and thesis advising. (bargaining since 2/28/25)
• Professional Development (union proposed) - proposes set professional development funds. (bargaining since 2/28/25)
• Termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. (bargaining since 9/25/24
• Retirement Incentive (union proposed) - Faculty who are age sixty (60) or older and have ten (10) or more years of service, and who submit an irrevocable notice of retirement by July 1 for the following academic year, shall be granted a workload reduction of one (1) line without loss of compensation during their final academic year of employment. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Visa Assistance (union proposed) - The union proposes that the college provide visa and green card assistance for international faculty. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Discipline (union proposed) - Union proposes that discipline and termination is for just cause as well as processes for notification of discipline. (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• Hiring (union proposed) - Union proposes a process by which faculty would be able to apply for non-teaching assignments that receive release or stipends. (bargaining since 3/21/25)

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles (italics indicates a new article since our 3/5/25 update):

• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues. (bargaining since 7/11/24)
• Sabbatical leave of absence (union proposed) - defines sabbatical eligibility, application, and award process as well as the sabbatical benefit. (bargaining since 2/21/25)
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. (bargaining since 8/5/24)
• Course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. (bargaining since 9/25/24; 12 drafts exchanged)
• Evaluations and promotion (union proposed) - outlines faculty evaluation criteria and process for promotion reviews. (bargaining since 1/24/25)
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as proposed participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. (bargaining since 8/28/24)
• Service (union proposed) - defines service activities and expectations and a process for assigning and tracking. (bargaining since 2/7/25)
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. (bargaining since 10/11/24)
• Non-Discrimination (union proposed) - defines the college's non-discrimination and accommodation policies (bargaining since 3/21/25)
• No Strike / No Lockout (college proposed) - establishes that bargaining unit members will not participate in a strike nor will the college lock out workers for the duration of the contract (bargaining since 3/21/25)

The teams have reached tentative agreements on the articles below: 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

The bargaining teams met twice over the last two weeks, on Friday, February 21 and Friday, February 28. 

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles:

• Course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. 
• Evaluations and promotion (union proposed) - outlines faculty evaluation criteria and process for promotion reviews.
• Successorship (union proposed) - outlines process of union recognition in the event of a sale or merger.
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as proposed participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. 
• Service (union proposed) - defines service activities and expectations and a process for assigning and tracking.
• Salary (union proposed) - defines a step system with rates of pay for the next three academic years.
• Sabbatical leave of absence (union proposed) - defines sabbatical eligibility, application, and award process as well as the sabbatical benefit.
• Retirement benefits (union proposed) - outlines a stepped increase to 403(b) matching over the next three academic years.
• Benefits (union proposed) - defines eligibility for benefits plans and contributions and costs for benefits.
• Independent Study & Thesis Advising (union proposed) - defines compensation for assigned independent studies and thesis advising.

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management.
• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues.
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. 
• Termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. 
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. 
• Professional Development (union proposed) - proposes set professional development funds. 

The teams have been able to reach tentative agreements on the articles below (italics indicates a change since our 2/10/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security
• Union rights

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met on Friday to bargain, and are scheduled to meet regularly throughout the spring term.

The College is currently working on responses to the following articles:

• Evaluations and promotion (union proposed) - outlines faculty evaluation criteria and process for promotion reviews.
• Successorship (union proposed) - outlines process of union recognition in the event of a sale or merger.
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as proposed participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. 
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. 

The College is awaiting responses from the Union on the following articles:

• Union rights (union proposed) - involves specifying the privileges and protections granted to the union and its representatives such as access to facilities, bargaining unit information and orientation.
• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management.
• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues.
• Course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. 
• Termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. 
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. 
• Service (union proposed) - defines service activities and expectations and a process for assigning and tracking.

The teams have been able to reach tentative agreements on the articles below (italics indicates a change since our 1/31/25 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Union security

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met regularly throughout the fall term, and reconvened last week for their first bargaining session of the spring semester. 

The teams have scheduled bargaining sessions through the end of the spring term. We are currently working on the below articles (italics indicates a change since our 12/20/24 update):

• Union rights (union proposed) - involves specifying the privileges and protections granted to the union and its representatives such as access to facilities, bargaining unit information and orientation.
• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management.
• Union security (union proposed) - outlines the terms and conditions regarding union membership, dues, and the rights and obligations of employees and the union. 
• Faculty absences and leaves (union proposed) - outlines the process for faculty absences, the use of sick time and introduces the concept of a Sick Time Bank. Additionally, this proposal includes details about professional and extended absences, substitutes and other types of leaves.
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. 
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. 
• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues.
• Union course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. 
• Union termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. 
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. 
• Evaluations and promotion (union proposed) - outlines faculty evaluation criteria and process for promotion reviews.

The teams have been able to reach tentative agreements on the below articles (italics indicates a change since our 12/20/24 update): 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 
• Faculty absences and leaves

We anticipate that the teams will continue to have additional counters and articles to present at our next bargaining session.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams have been meeting regularly all semester and we are currently working on the below articles: 

• Union rights (union proposed) - involves specifying the privileges and protections granted to the union and its representatives such as access to facilities, bargaining unit information and orientation.
• Management rights (college proposed)  - typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management.
• Union security (union proposed) - outlines the terms and conditions regarding union membership, dues, and the rights and obligations of employees and the union. 
• Faculty absences and leaves (union proposed) - outlines the process for faculty absences, the use of sick time and introduces the concept of a Sick Time Bank. Additionally, this proposal includes details about professional and extended absences, substitutes and other types of leaves.
• Faculty governance (union proposed) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. 
• Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) (college proposed) - the JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. 
• Ombuds (union proposed) - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues.
• Union course cancellation and low enrollment (union proposed) - outlines proposed criteria and process for course cancellations and the impact on faculty course loads and benefits. 
• Union termination or reduction of appointment (union proposed) - outlines the reasons and process for termination or reduction of appointments, the process for the discontinuation of a program, the process for financial exigency and the severance and benefits tied to termination. 
• General qualifications and expectations (college proposed) - outlines workload expectations, qualifications and expectations for faculty positions and a plan for tracking faculty service. 

The teams have been able to reach tentative agreements on the below articles: 

• Union recognition
• Academic freedom
• Grievance procedure 

We have also reached agreement on a number of other items including the program lead positions, AY25 salary increases, ground rules and dental benefits. 

We are now scheduling negotiation sessions for the Spring semester and both parties are expected to have additional counter proposals to present at our next session. 

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met on August 28th for their fourth negotiation session. The union presented counter proposals to the below articles: 

• Grievance procedure
• Faculty governance (new proposal) - outlines the leadership roles for ranked faculty in the Faculty Senate, as well as participation in the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees meetings. This proposal includes compensation requests for these roles and also calls for a Budget Transparency Committee. 

The College team presented counter proposals to the below articles:

• Union rights
• Management rights 
• Union security 
• Faculty absences and leaves
• Grievance procedure 

Our next negotiation session is scheduled for Wednesday September 11, 2024 and both parties are expected to have additional counter proposals to present. 

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met on August 5th for their third negotiation session. The union presented counter proposals to the below articles: 

• Grievance procedure
• Union rights
• Management rights
• Union security (new proposal) - outlines the terms and conditions regarding union membership, dues, and the rights and obligations of employees and the union. 
• Faculty absences and leaves (new proposal) - outlines the process for faculty absences, the use of sick time and introduces the concept of a Sick Time Bank. Additionally, this proposal includes details about professional and extended absences, substitutes and other types of leaves.

The College team presented a partial response to the union’s Ombuds proposal by sharing a new proposal on a Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC). The JLMC is a structured forum where representatives from both labor (union) and management (employer) collaborate to discuss and resolve workplace issues, promote a positive work environment, and enhance communication and cooperation. 

Our next negotiation session is scheduled for Wednesday August 28, 2024 and both parties are expected to have additional counter proposals to present. We have also developed a schedule for regular meetings throughout the fall semester.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

In addition to beginning the negotiation process on the ranked faculty collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU), we have also been negotiating the 2024 annual increase for ranked faculty. Both teams reached a tentative agreement in our last session on August 5th and the CCARFU ratified the agreement on Friday August 9th. Below are the details of this agreement, which will be incorporated into your new contracts.

• All  unit members who did not receive a promotion to or within rank, tenure, or pre-tenure for the 2024-2025 academic year will receive an annual increase of two and a half percent (2.5%) to their base salary.
• Unit members who received a promotion to or within rank and/or tenure for the 2024-2025 academic year will receive a promotional increase, which is inclusive of the annual increase of two and a half percent (2.5%).

The above provisions apply to all ranked faculty, regardless of union status. 

Your contracts will be issued by Thursday, August 15th. You will receive an email notifying you when your contract is available for you to review and sign in Workday.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met on Monday July 22nd for their second negotiation session. The teams were able to reach tentative agreements (TA’s) on two articles: Recognition and Academic Freedom & Professional Ethics. 

In addition, the teams exchanged proposals on Union Rights and Grievance, and the College team presented a new proposal on Management Rights. Management Rights typically outlines the specific rights and authorities retained by management.

Our next negotiation session is scheduled for Monday August 5, 2024 and both parties are expected to have additional counter proposals to present. We are also working on developing a  schedule for biweekly meetings throughout the fall semester.

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

We would like to provide you with an update on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiation process between the College and the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). 

The teams met on Thursday July 11th for their first negotiation session. It was a productive, professional and cordial meeting.

The CCARFU team presented five proposals to the college team. We have included brief descriptions of what is typically covered in these types of articles.

• Union Rights - involves specifying the privileges and protections granted to the union and its representatives such as access to facilities, bargaining unit information and orientation.
• Recognition - states that the employer acknowledges the union as the exclusive representative of the employees in the bargaining unit for the purposes of collective bargaining, and clearly identifies who is and is not covered by the bargaining unit.
• Grievance - outlines the process for resolving disputes or complaints that arise between bargaining unit members and the college. 
• Ombuds - proposes an Ombuds program with the responsibilities, rights, and processes associated with the ombud's function in addressing and resolving workplace issues.
• Academic Freedom - references the American Association of University Professors’ (AAUP) Statement on Academic Freedom.

The college team was able to provide counter proposals to articles on Union Rights, Recognition, and Academic Freedom by the end of the day.

Our next negotiation session is scheduled for Monday July 22, 2024 and both parties are expected to have additional counter proposals to present.  

Respectfully,

CCA Bargaining Team

Maira Lazdins (Human Resources), Em Meine (Academic Affairs), Keith Krumwiede (Academic Affairs), and Niqui Windberg (legal counsel and lead negotiator)

Dear Ranked Faculty,

On Monday, the CCA management team and the CCA Ranked Faculty Union (CCARFU) met to discuss the Chair restructure for AY25 that was outlined in the email from Provost Carland sent on Friday, June 7. We would like to provide you with an update of that meeting. 

CCA management team:

• Reviewed the impact of the new chair structure on CCARFU
• Provided information from peer schools regarding chair structures and correlations between chair structures, enrollment and other key data points
• Shared CCA program enrollment information from the last five years
• Highlighted the impact of the new structure on specific programs
• Addressed the top three concerns regarding the new structure, as voiced by the CCARFU

You can view the full presentation attached as a pdf to this email. Please reference this FAQ on the Portal for more details regarding the new chair structure.

Following the presentation, the CFT union representative and CCARFU members asked follow-up questions around the workload, job responsibility and support impact of these changes on the CCARFU members, requested more information about the displacement of existing ranked faculty members with the new structure, and shared a request for more budget transparency and an understanding of how the restructure fits into the overall budget. 

The CCA management team is meeting with the adjunct faculty union on Friday June 14th to discuss the impact of the revised chair structure on the adjunct faculty bargaining unit. 

As a reminder, the college will begin bargaining for the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with CCARFU in July and we will continue to provide regular updates.

Respectfully,

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost

Maira Lazdins, Vice President of  Human Resources

Em Meine, Senior Director of Faculty Affairs and Records

We would like to provide you with an update on the ongoing process between the College and the ranked faculty union organizing committee, the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). Below are new items to note:

• As noted in our last communication dated January 18, 2024, the college and CCARFU agreed to third party arbitration to determine whether or not the Program Chairs/Program Directors would be part of the bargaining unit. The Arbitration took place on February 26-28.
• Following the Arbitration, each party submitted closing briefs and the Arbitrator had 30 days to make a final and binding decision.
• Both parties received the decision on April 9, 2024, in which the Arbitrator found that Program Chairs and Program Directors are supervisors and are excluded from the CCARFU bargaining unit on that basis.

This decision means that the bargaining unit will reflect the below:

Included: All ranked full-time and ranked part-time faculty, including all tenured, tenure track, and ranked renewable Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors, including all ranked faculty serving as assistant chairs and associate chairs.

Excluded: All other employees, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the NLRA, including Program Chairs and Program Directors.

We recognize that Program Chairs/Program Directors may have questions about what this means. We are happy to discuss next week at the All Chairs meeting on Wednesday April 24th. 

We will continue to communicate updates regarding next steps in the bargaining process as we have more information. 

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost 

Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources

Although we just wrote to you on Friday, we have an important update to share regarding the unionizing of the ranked faculty.

• On January 12, the CCARFU filed to withdraw its petition with the NLRB.
• On January 16, NLRB confirmed approval of this withdrawal.

By signing this Agreement, the college voluntarily recognizes CCARFU as the exclusive bargaining representative, within the meaning of Section 9(a) of the NLRA, of the following employees:

Included: All ranked full-time and ranked part-time faculty, including all tenured, tenure track, and ranked renewable Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors, including all ranked faculty serving as assistant chairs and associate Chairs.

Excluded: All other employees, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the NLRA, with the exception that the bargaining unit’s inclusion or exclusion of each Program Chair and Program Director will be determined by an arbitrator.

We will continue to communicate updates as progress is made.

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost 

Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources

Dear Ranked Faculty,

We would like to provide you with an update on the ongoing process between the College and the ranked faculty union organizing committee, now named the CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU). Below are new items to note:

• On December 11, 2023, CCA Ranked Faculty United (CCARFU) and California Federation of Teachers (CFT) filed an RC-Certification petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This petition demonstrates that a majority of employees wish to be represented for purposes of collective bargaining by the Petitioner (CCARFU, CFT). 
• On December 22, 2023, the college filed a Statement of Position in response to the petition filed by CCA Ranked Faculty United, CFT. The statement said that the college does not agree that the proposed unit is appropriate because employees in the Program Chair and Program Director job classification are supervisors and managerial employees under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). CCA Chair and Program Directors’ presence in the unit would be inappropriate and create a significant conflict of interest because these classifications have supervisory and managerial responsibilities. The college did agree that Assistant and Associate Chairs could be represented by the bargaining unit.
• On December 28, 2023, CCARFU filed its Responsive Statement of Position. The Union asserted that Program Chairs and Program Directors are neither supervisors or managers under the NLRA and that the petitioned-for unit was appropriate.
• The NLRB scheduled a hearing in January 2024 to make a determination about the disputed bargaining unit members (Program Chairs and Program Directors). 
• The college accepted an alternative resolution in the form of arbitration and came to an agreement with the Union, therefore on January 11, 2024, the college signed an arbitration agreement with CCA Ranked Faculty United, CFT to privately arbitrate the dispute, outside of the NLRB. Private arbitration will save time and expenses that would be involved with going through the NLRB, and we will come to agree on the third party arbitrator . The arbitration must be completed by February 29, 2024. The arbitrator’s decision will be final and binding.
• With this signed agreement, the CCARFU will withdraw its petition with the NLRB and there will be no NLRB election. After the arbitration, the parties will move into collective bargaining agreement negotiations for the agreed upon bargaining unit:
  
  

Included: All ranked full-time and ranked part-time faculty, including all tenured, tenure track, and ranked renewable Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors, including all ranked faculty serving as assistant chairs and associate Chairs.

Excluded: All other employees, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the NLRA, with the exception that the bargaining unit’s inclusion or exclusion of each Program Chair and Program Director will be determined by an arbitrator.

We will continue to communicate updates as progress is made.

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost 

Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources

We would like to provide you with another update on the ongoing email communication between the College and the ranked faculty union organizing committee.

As previously noted, the College intends to remain neutral and would not oppose a ranked faculty union, provided CCA Chairs, Associate Chairs, Assistant Chairs, and program Directors are not part of the bargaining unit and are removed from the voting process.

In addition to the key updates shared in our last two emails to you, below are new items to note:

• In response to our November 1 request that the organizing committee share its position, and any additional information, on what they believe qualifies CCA’s program Chairs, Associate Chairs, Assistant Chairs, and Academic Program Directors as non-managerial and non-supervisory positions, we received the following: 
  • On November 10, the College received an email restating the organizing committee’s previously articulated position, listing some higher-ed institutions which have chairs in their bargaining units. Also included was an attached open letter signed by 121 faculty requesting that the college include chairs, associate chairs, assistant chairs and directors in the faculty bargaining unit. The organizing committee requested a meeting to discuss this topic. 
• On November 14, the College responded and told the organizing committee that we would send a response after the Thanksgiving break.
• On November 22, the organizing committee reiterated their request to meet.
• On November 28, the College responded and shared a report that further articulated the College’s perspective regarding the proposed ranked faculty bargaining unit. The College also shared that we do not believe that it is appropriate to meet for a discussion at this time.

We have attached the College’s perspective on the proposed ranked faculty bargaining unit to this email, so that all ranked faculty are able to review it. 

We will continue to communicate updates when progress has been made.

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost and Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources

We would like to provide you with another update on the ongoing email communication between the College and the three members of the ranked faculty, Sara Dean, Kim Anno and Peter Anderson, who notified the college that a majority of the ranked faculty had voted to unionize with CFT, AFT, and requested that the College voluntarily recognize the union.

As previously noted, the College intends to remain neutral and would not oppose a ranked faculty union, provided CCA Chairs, Associate Chairs, Assistant Chairs, and program Directors are not part of the bargaining unit and are removed from the voting process.

In addition to the key updates shared in our October 25, 2023 email to you all, below are new items to note:

• On October 24, the college received a response back from the representatives of the union organizing committee, noting that their perspective is different from the College’s and that they maintain that chairs, associate chairs, assistant chairs, and directors are not supervisory under the National Labor Relations Act. They proposed a meeting to discuss. 
• On October 25, the College responded by inviting the committee to share their position and any additional information on program Chairs, Associate Chairs, Assistant Chairs, and Directors, in writing, so that we are able to review their perspective.
• On October 27, the union organizing committee responded with a request for a two-way discussion.
• On November 1, the College responded by stating that we recognize their interest in meeting to discuss this issue, however, we have been advised by legal counsel that having a two-way discussion on this issue in an actual meeting could incorrectly imply premature recognition. We reiterated our request for this information in writing by November 10th. 

We will communicate updates when progress has been made.

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost and Maira Lazdins, VP of Human Resources

On Monday October 9th,  we received verbal notice from three members of the ranked faculty, Sara Dean, Kim Anno and and Peter Anderson, putting the college on notice that a majority of the ranked faculty had voted to unionize with CFT, AFT, and they were requesting that the College voluntarily recognize the union.

Below are key updates:

• On October 10th, we received the same notification and request via email with the additional signatures of 28 ranked faculty members called the CCARFU Organizing Committee, California College of the Arts Ranked Faculty United. 
• Over the last two weeks, President Steve Beal, Provost Tammy Rae Carland and Vice President of Human Resources Maira Lazdins have been in conversations with CCA legal counsel and CCA’s academic deans and other administrators. 
• On October 19th, the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate sent us an email recommending that the College support the request. 
• During this time, we have also heard from some ranked faculty via direct and anonymous communications. They believe there has been a lack of dialogue and that the process has not included all ranked faculty. 
• On Monday, we were able to provide a response to the request from the CCARFU Organizing Committee and we have included it below in order to provide an open communication to all ranked faculty. 

We will communicate updates when progress has been made.

Steve, Tammy Rae and Maira