Call on legislators to fully fund CTCs today

Join AFT Washington’s Day of Action on April 11: Community and technical colleges need state legislators’ support!

OLYMPIA — Community and technical college (CTC) faculty and staff, students and community members from across Washington will rally in Seattle, Lynnwood and Tacoma and converge on the State Capitol for a Day of Action on Tuesday, April 11 to call on the State Legislature to prioritize student success by fully funding our CTCs.

AFT Washington, which represents CTC faculty, says the Legislature has rejected its legislative priorities.

“Student enrollment is down. Employee turnover is up. Our students and our coworkers are suffering from the neglect coming from Olympia,” reads AFT Washington’s call to action. “Rather than deal with the issues facing our community, the Legislature is threatening continued neglect of this invaluable resource, rather than invest in it.”

TAKE A STAND — All union members and community supporters are invited to join in calling on the Legislature to take action to protect the future of our community and technical colleges. Attend the following April 11 events:

Teach-In and Rally in Olympia from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the north steps of the Capitol Building. Register here to participate.

Rally in Seattle with AFT Seattle at 12:45 p.m. at the Seattle Central College plaza, Broadway and E. Pine.

Rally In Lynnwood with AFT Everett and AFT Edmonds from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Lynnwood Event Center, 3711 196th Street S.W.

Rally in Tacoma with AFT Bates from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bates Technical College downtown campus, 1101 S. Yakima Ave. in Tacoma.

Washington’s CTCs are crucial for growing our state’s workforce and supplying the nurses, ferry workers, welders, cooks, and other essential workers of the future.

Most higher education students in Washington are enrolled in our CTCs, yet decades of underfunding has lowered student enrollment and resulted in instructors and staff leaving for better-paying, more secure jobs. Now most classes are taught by a precarious class of part-time instructors who struggle with low pay and extreme job insecurity.

AFT Washington is calling for:

• CTC faculty’s first general salary adjustment since 2009;
• Pay equity for part-time faculty at 85 percent;
• Cost-of-living adjustments that are fully funded;
• More counseling and other supports for students, including financial support for materials, books, tools, etc.; and
• A path to cost-free college.

If you are a CTC student of staff member, or if you know one, or if you support access to affordable, quality higher education in Washington state, please make plans to participate in the April 11 events listed above.