Strike Information

Important Guidance for Students

Student FAQ | General FAQ | Issues

The union representing part-time faculty at College of the Canyons plans to go on strike beginning Monday, Dec. 5.

If you receive notice from your instructor that your class will be cancelled because of the strike, that DOES NOT mean your class is actually canceled. 

The college is working to find substitute instructors to ensure students have access to their courses during the last week of the semester, can complete their final exams, and receive grades so they are able to complete this fall semester.

If your instructor notifies you that class is canceled, please send an email to instruction@canyons.edu with a brief message letting us know your instructor intends to cancel class. 

• Include the name of the instructor, class number, section number, and meeting time.
• For example: “My instructor said the ENGL 101 class section xxxxx that meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be canceled.”

For updates on what is happening with your class, check the Canvas shell for your class. If the class does not have a Canvas shell, an email will be sent to you with updates.

For more information about how the college is working to support students during the strike, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Frequently Asked Questions

STUDENT INFORMATION

• If I have a class taught by a part-time faculty member, does that mean my class is canceled?
  No. Not every part-time faculty member will participate in the strike. Also, if your instructor announces that they plan to strike, that DOES NOT mean your class is actually canceled. The college plans to have substitute instructors available so classes can continue to meet during the strike.
• What should I do if my instructor says my class is canceled?
  Send an email to instruction@canyons.edu and let us know your instructor intends to cancel class. Please include the name of the instructor, class number, section number, and meeting time. For example: “My instructor said the ENGL 101 class section xxxxx that meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be canceled.”
• Will my instructor get in trouble if the college finds out they have decided to strike?
  No. Part-time faculty members have a right to strike, and we are not trying to keep tabs on our instructors. We are asking students to let the college know if they have received any communications from their instructors about classes being canceled so that we can provide a substitute for the class. We want to ensure students have access to their courses during the last week of the semester, can complete their final exams, and receive grades so they are able to complete this fall semester.
• How do I find out what’s happening with my class?
  Check the Canvas shell for your class (if applicable) for updates on whether a substitute instructor will be provided. Otherwise an email will be sent to you (if the class does not have a Canvas shell).
• When will the strike start?
  It is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5.
• How long will the strike last? 
  The college does not know how long the part-time faculty intend to stay on strike. 
• How many part-time faculty members will go on strike?
  The strike is optional, and the college does not know how many part-time instructors plan to participate. 
• If my class has a substitute instructor, who will be grading my final and giving me a final grade in my class?
  The substitute instructor will grade any remaining work and issue final grades for all students in the class.
• Will substitute instructors have access to the previous work I submitted in the class?
  Yes, if a Canvas shell was used. The college has copies of the Canvas shells for most classes, so substitute instructors should have access to previous assignments and grades for all students in the classes they are covering. If a Canvas shell is not available, then please make sure you keep copies of all graded assessments from the semester for verification.
• Will the strike affect when grades are posted?
  No. Grades will be available to students by Friday, Dec. 16, in their My Canyons accounts.
• If I don’t agree with the grade given by a substitute instructor, can I challenge it?
  Yes. Once your grade is posted, you can petition to have it reviewed. Visit https://www.canyons.edu/studentservices/studentservicesforms/gradereview.php for details on how to submit a Grade Review Petition.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• What salary issues are in dispute between the college district and the part-time faculty union?

  The part-time faculty union, AFT Local 6262, asked for a 6% increase in each of the 2020-21 and 2021-2022 contract years.

  The district offered 0% compensation increase for 2020-21, which is consistent with what other employee groups – classified staff, full-time faculty, and administrators – received that year. A neutral fact-finding panel agreed with the district’s decision because the state did not provide funding for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to any community college in 2020-21.

  For 2021-22, the district authorized a 5.26% salary increase for part-time faculty, as well as all other permanent employee groups. The college is working to issue retroactive payments of the salary increase for all eligible part-time faculty by January, if not sooner.

• What effect will the strike have on negotiations for the two contract years in question?

  None. The strike will not lead to any compensation changes for those two years. On Nov. 9, 2022, the Board of Trustees implemented the district’s last, best, and final offer, which provided no salary increase for 2020-21 and a 5.26% salary increase for 2021-22.

• How long did the college district and AFT negotiate before the strike?

  The district and AFT began negotiations in February 2021 for the contract years 2020-21 and 2021-22. After negotiating for more than a year without reaching an agreement on possible wage increases, both sides declared impasse on March 11, 2022. Mediation was held on April 19, 2022, and no agreement was reached. A fact-finding hearing was held on June 20, 2022. The neutral, third-party fact-finding panel recommended that AFT receive no increase for 2020-21. They noted that 2020 was a unique year because of the pandemic, and that no state funding for cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) was provided, and that no bargaining group at the college received any salary increase in 2020. On Nov. 9, 2022, the Board of Trustees implemented the district’s last, best, and final offer, which provided no salary increase for 2020-21 and a 5.26% salary increase for 2021-22.

• What are the next steps in the negotiation process?

  The district has contacted AFT multiple times about starting negotiations for the 2022-23 fiscal year to discuss compensation and other important issues, but the union has not responded as of Monday, Dec. 5.

• Is every part-time faculty member required to strike?

  No. Being a member of AFT does not require a faculty member to strike. It is up to each individual to choose whether to join the strike.

• Will part-time faculty be paid for the time during which they engage in any planned work stoppage/strike?

  No. AFT-represented employees who engage in a work stoppage/strike will receive no compensation from the district during their engagement in any planned work stoppage/strike.

• If a part-time faculty member chooses not to strike, can they come to work as scheduled during the strike?

  Yes. If part-time faculty members want to work during the work stoppage/strike, they are free to do so.

• Why are students being asked to call the college if they hear from their professors that classes are canceled?

  While AFT is required to provide the district 72 hours advance notice of its intention to strike, individual instructors are not required to indicate whether they are participating. We asked students to let us know if they receive a class cancellation notice from their instructor so we can arrange for substitutes. We have plans in place to provide substitutes for classes affected by the strike so students can get final grades, complete their classes, and continue meeting their educational goals. Students should email instruction@canyons.edu if they are told any class is being canceled.

THE ISSUES

This chart clarifies statements that have been included in communications to members of the part-time faculty union (AFT).

Statement	Clarification
Stop violating our bargaining rights. Stop committing unfair labor practices.	The district has not violated AFT’s rights. The parties have exhausted all of the statutory impasse procedures, and the district has completed imposition of terms and conditions for 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Undo the 2020 pay cut.	The district and AFT disagreed about the implementation process of a newly expanded salary schedule for 2020-21. AFT filed a complaint with the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). A hearing was held, and the administrative law judge ruled in favor of the district. AFT has appealed this decision.
Stop forcing adjuncts to work for free.	Adjuncts (part-time faculty members) do not work for free. Credit adjuncts are paid an hourly rate of $70.78 to $97.49 per the contract that the AFT negotiating team agreed to.
Give adjuncts a voice in departmental meetings.	As part of the fact-finding process, this issue was tabled and will be revisited during 2022-23 negotiations.
Give adjuncts a fair pay increase for 2020.	0% was offered to all employee groups in 2020-21, as there was no state cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) during that fiscal year.
Administrators and all permanent employees received a raise in 2020-21.	There was no state COLA in 2020-21. No employee groups received a salary increase in 2020-21.
There are 3,000 AFT union members.	There are currently 483 adjuncts teaching during the fall 2022 semester. There are 800 current adjuncts, meaning they have taught at some point during the past six semesters.