LOCAL
Clark College faculty reach tentative deal to end strike
UPDATE (Jan. 15, 2020) — The Clark College Association for Higher Education (CCAHE) posted the following news release late Tuesday night:
Striking Clark College faculty members and their college administration have reached a tentative contract agreement. There will be no picketing tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 15. The CCAHE union has scheduled a general membership meeting for 1 pm Wednesday at the student center in Gaiser Hall at the college. Union members will review the tentative agreement before taking a contract ratification vote. The details of the tentative agreement will not be shared publicly until the CCAHE general membership meeting. Classes remain canceled Wednesday. The faculty strike began Monday, Jan. 13. CCAHE has more than 400 members, and the college has more than 12,000 students.
UPDATE (Jan. 14, 2020) — The strike by more than 400 full-time and part-time faculty represented by the Clark College Association for Higher Education continued Tuesday at the Vancouver community college. The CCAHE thanked the many union members and community supporters who turned out for Monday afternoon’s picket, and invites all to join them on the picket lines outside Clark College at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way.
There will be pickets every day Monday through Friday until there is a fair contract. The morning shift is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the evening shift is 4 to 6 p.m. Even if you can show up for a half an hour, come show support for Clark College faculty. Learn more here.
TAKE A STAND — All union members and community supporters are urged to email Jane Jacobsen, Paul Speer and the rest of the Clark College Board of Trustees and tell them to negotiate a fair contract that provides competitive, equitable pay for all faculty members. As the college’s leaders, they have the power and responsibility to settle a fair contract. Please email them now!
VANCOUVER (Jan. 13, 2020) — More than 400 full-time and part-time faculty represented by the Clark College Association for Higher Education went on strike at the Vancouver community college today after trying to negotiate a new contract for more than 15 months that makes faculty pay more competitive with other community colleges and nearby K-12 instructors.
The CCAHE, an affiliate of the Washington Education Association, voted unanimously in December to authorize a strike and established today — Monday, Jan. 13 — as the strike date, hoping the college administrators would agree to a fair contract by now. But despite negotiations that continued throughout the weekend, they failed to reach an agreement.
“We are fighting for a fair contract that provides competitive pay for all Clark College faculty, including equitable pay for our part-time professors,” said CCAHE President Suzanne Southerland, a communication studies professor at the college. “Clark instructors and professors appreciate the tremendous support from our students, the community, college staff and other unions.”
TAKE A STAND — All union members and community supporters in the Vancouver area are urged to join the CCAHE faculty on the picket line TODAY from 4 to 6 p.m. outside Clark College at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way. “Our union is inviting K-12 educators, students, community members and other union members to join us on the picket line for this special afternoon strike action,” reads the Facebook event page. Please join them and show your support and solidarity!
