The union representing teachers at the Community College of Philadelphia are ready to strike Wednesday morning if a deal isn’t reached. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville reports.
The American Federation of Teachers Local 2026, the union that represents about 1,200 teachers and workers at the Community College of Philadelphia, is set to go on strike this week unless college management meets their demands, union officials announced.
The union announced the strike deadline on Monday, March 24, 2025. The move comes about a week after members of the union authorized a strike.
In a statement on the deadline, the union's leadership said that the decision to strike comes after "almost 15 months of bargaining, hundreds of hours at the bargaining table, and working without a contract since August."
Union members said in a statement that they are "tired of waiting for management."
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“The college continues their stall tactics and their legal games, but our members remain willing and ready to walk out if we do not have our demands met,” Union Co-president Junior Brainard said in a statement.
The union has said it is seeking "fair pay, staffing, and free public transit for students" and, in a statement, union officials claim that college management is stalling the negotiation process through, what Brainard called a "cowardly Hail-Mary tactic."
Also, the union claims, adjunct faculty at the school are paid about 35% less than equivalent positions at nearby Temple University and the school's staffing is down 25% compared to pre-pandemic staffing levels.
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This has led union members, officials said, to feel overworked and underpaid.
“We have been bargaining in good faith and we will continue to bargain in good faith long into the night if necessary to get the contracts our members need,” Union Co-President Rainah Chambliss said in a statement.
The college and the union have agreed to continue bargaining on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, but if no agreement can be reached, a strike could be held on Wednesday.
In a statement released last week, officials with the Community College of Philadelphia called for a neutral third-party to review proposals from both sides and provide recommendations for a path forward.
"The college welcomes the insight of a neutral third party and can only wonder why the federation would not be confident enough in their position to invite the same," college officials said in a statement.
Also, school officials said that, among other offers on the table, they have proposed a 13% salary increase along with "enhanced best-in-class medical benefits."
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