City College faculty union declares impasse

San Francisco City College’s faculty union has declared an impasse in ongoing negotiations with the administration, likely sending the negotiations to mediation, union officials said Thursday.

The negotiations with the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, which represents 1,500 teachers at the school, have been going on for 10 months and the faculty has been without a contract for 6 months with little progress, according to the union.

UPDATE 1/15 CCSF fires back after faculty union alleges impasse.

The teachers are complaining their pay has dropped to 3.5 percent below what they were in 2007 and the college is planning to cut classes.

The college nearly lost its accreditation in recent years because, among other things, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges found that the school was spending too much on administration and not enough on education.

The union argues those problems are continuing. The school is currently in restoration status with the commission and has to submit a report on its progress in the fall.

Union president Tim Killikelly said in a statement that the college’s leadership has “allowed negotiations to languish, making no significant movement toward providing faculty fair compensation.” This is one more sign that this administration’s priorities do not line up with quality education and the needs of students and faculty,” Killikelly said.

The declaration of an impasse will move the negotiations to a mediation process by the Public Employment Relations Board. The union had threatened to strike last month but cancelled strike plans before it began, saying negotiations had improved.

The union is planning a rally and picket line at the college’s Ocean Campus Friday morning.

A city college spokesman was not immediately available for comment Thursday afternoon.