Faculty and administrators at Central Oregon Community College reached a tentative agreement over salaries Oct. 2, averting a strike scheduled to begin Oct. 5.
The new employment contract will raise full-time faculty salaries by 13% to 27% and create “substantial” increases for part-time faculty, according to a Friday press release from the Oregon Education Association, the statewide teacher’s union representing the COCC Faculty Forum, a collective bargaining unit of 171 educators at the college.
The press release called the agreement “the most transformative contract in the history of the Faculty Forum,” and said it would result in “life-changing gains” for faculty. It raises starting faculty salary from about $61,000 to $75,000, according to the release.
“Our members bravely fought for this contract because they believe COCC faculty deserve to be fairly compensated for the work they do every day for our students and our community,” said Sara Henson, faculty forum president, in a press release. “These agreements will change lives, strengthen our faculty and help COCC build the workforce our students deserve.”
The union said the agreement delivers on the goal to put COCC faculty pay on par with the statewide average for community college instructors. The agreement also increases overload and summer compensation while reducing health insurance costs, according to the release.
The agreement is still subject to ratification by faculty members and approval by the COCC Board of Directors.
The union and the college entered mediation in September after months-long negotiations reached a stalemate. Dozens of faculty gathered for rallies on the college campus in west Bend on Sept. 23 and again on Oct. 1 ahead of a final negotiation session.
The college had already offered a contract option on Sept. 17 to raise salaries by an average of 17% in the first year, with a starting salary of $69,000, according to a COCC webpage. The college came up from its August proposal, which offered an average salary increase of 9.4%.
“This agreement represents an important investment in our faculty while ensuring the College remains financially sustainable,” said Jim Porter, chair of the COCC Board of Directors, in a college press release. “We appreciate the efforts of both bargaining teams to reach an agreement and, most importantly, avoid disruption to our students and their education.”
The college had rejected previous offers from the union, primarily citing costs. According to the college, general fund reserves are projected to dip to historical lows amid financial headwinds like falling enrollment and federal spending cuts.
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