NYSUT DIRECTORS TO SPEAK; CCC WORKERS, COMMUNITY EDUCATORS CALL FOR ADMINISTRATION TO RESPECT EMPLOYEES AND PRIORITIZE LEARNING
Corning/Elmira, NY, September 16, 2016– Corning Community College has been recognized as the best community college in the state and as one of the finest in the country. This excellence is thanks in no small measure to its faculty, renowned for accomplishments in their disciplines and for their tireless commitment to students, the college, and their community.
Now CCC faculty are reaching out to the community again. But this time it's the College itself that needs help.
At 5:45 pm on Thursday, September 22, the Professional Educators of Corning Community College invite the public to join them at a Rally for CCC's Future, in front of the Commons building on the Spencer Hill campus in Corning.
Faculty have been raising concerns for some time with the college administration about its aggressive policy of disinvestment in teaching and learning. While faculty continue to do their best for students, the administration has slashed the number of full-time instructors, largely through attrition, and has suppressed instructors’ compensation for so long that now CCC faculty are among the very lowest paid in New York State.
Over the last ten years, the number of instructors working as part-time “adjuncts” without benefits or salaries at CCC has increased by a whopping 61%. Meanwhile, those who are employed full-time are increasingly paid bottom-of-the-barrel salaries. In fact, Instructors at CCC are paid a full 33% less than the average for their peers at community colleges nationally.
Full-time faculty positions have actually gone unfilled in some areas because the administration refuses to pay competitive salaries. As a result, some classes have had to be canceled and students turned away. For faculty that have devoted their professional lives to opening doors for students, this is especially upsetting.
Instead of addressing concerns constructively in contract talks with faculty, the college administration has doubled down on its policy of instructional disinvestment, insisting on zero percent raises, zero increases to substandard minimum salaries, and zero remedy for chronic understaffing.
After months of the administration refusing to negotiate with faculty on these and a host of other issues, including even a faculty proposal to include an anti-bullying policy in their contract, negotiations are officially at impasse. The administration’s tactics have been similarly uncompromising with other workers on campus, resulting in all unionized employees now working without current contracts (including Buildings and Grounds workers [CSEA] and Campus Safety Officers [Council 82]).
Reflecting the seriousness of the crisis, this month the New York State Public Employees Relations Board appointed their top mediator, Director of the Office of Conciliation Kevin B. Flannigan, to encourage constructive negotiations toward a new faculty contract.
And yet, given the college administration’s adamant refusal to address the concerns of CCC employees for years, faculty understand that only with the community’s help will the administration change direction and begin listening to the needs of educators and students.
“This college belongs to the community, and the community loves this college just as we do,” said Ryan Hersha, President of the PECCC. “I have been moved by the support we’ve received already, and I have a tremendous faith in what we will accomplish together for the future of CCC and our students.”
Thursday’s Rally for CCC’s Future will be joined also by area K-12 teachers, many of whose students go on to study at the College, and three Directors of New York State United Teachers: Rick Gallant, Andy Sako, and Kevin Peterman. The rally is open to all community members.
After the rally, participants will attend a meeting of the College’s Regional Board of Trustees in a show of solidarity with students, faculty, and all CCC workers.
The agenda for Thursday’s events at CCC are as follows:
5:00, CCC Library: Informational Session with NYSUT Directors and the PECCC.
5:45, in front of the Commons building: Rally for CCC’s Future.
6:15, inside the Commons building (Triangle Lounge): Regional Board of Trustees meeting
For more information about the rally and to RSVP, visit CCCFuture.org.