Information on the Part-time Faculty Contract
Photo: Phil Dembinski '08
Latest Updates–April 18, 2019
For additional information, visit the CFAC Negotiations FAQ page.
Negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year. Columbia’s negotiating team has met more than 20 times with CFAC during regularly scheduled sessions. Columbia has always been in favor of a swift and amicable resolution and continues to advocate for federal mediation.
Below is a list of the most recent actions and key dates.
- April 17, 2019–The college and the union reach tentative new agreement on contract.
- December 10, 2018–The college and the union made a joint request to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) for a mediator to assist the parties with ongoing negotiations. We hope that a mediator will be able to join negotiations as soon as possible after the winter break.
- November 27, 2018–An update on this regularly scheduled bargaining session.
- November 16, 2018–An update on this regularly scheduled bargaining session.
- November 9, 2018–During this regularly scheduled bargaining session, the union submitted its first comprehensive counterproposal. The college is assessing the counterproposal in advance of the next bargaining session scheduled on November 16.
- October 26, 2018–Regularly scheduled bargaining session.
- October 19, 2018–Regularly scheduled bargaining session cancelled at CFAC's request.
- October 5, 2018–Columbia offers third comprehensive proposal including salary increases to CFAC.
- April 27, 2018–Columbia offers second comprehensive proposal including salary increases to CFAC.
- November 10, 2017–Columbia makes first comprehensive proposal to CFAC.
- September 2017–Bargaining begins on new contract.
- August 31, 2017–Contract between part-time faculty union expires.
- Throughout 2017–Columbia offers to temporarily extend the part-time faculty contract as negotiations continued.
- Late 2016–Columbia attempted to initiate discussions and negotiation in anticipation of the part-time contract expiration.
Message to Faculty and Staff
CFAC and College Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract–April 17, 2019
We are pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement on a collective bargaining agreement between Columbia College Chicago and the Columbia Faculty Union. Like all such agreements, it has taken compromises and good faith by both sides to arrive at this moment. READ MORE
Message to Part-time Faculty Union
Update on Part-time Faculty Bargaining–November 30, 2018
The part-time union leadership announced today on a radio program on WLPN-FM 105.5 its intent to strike in the third or fourth week of the Spring semester. Given the developments at the November 27, 2018, bargaining session between the college and the union, we find the union’s indication regrettable. READ MORE
Message to Faculty and Staff
Update on Part-time Faculty Bargaining–November 19, 2018
November 16, 2018: In Friday’s bargaining session the college discussed several of the Union’s new proposed provisions in order to better understand them. Those proposals were made November 9 with the Union’s first comprehensive counteroffer. READ MORE
Message to Faculty and Staff
Bargaining Update–November 8, 2018
The union leadership is threatening a strike. This is a disappointing development for us, since the union’s leadership has not yet responded to our latest economic proposal (made on October 5, 2018), and continues to reject our requests for federal mediation. READ MORE
Message to Faculty and Staff
Message from Dr. Kim–October 11, 2018
I am writing to clarify several issues raised by our part-time faculty union, CFAC. Until this fall, CFAC was known as PFAC. While the new acronym stands for Columbia College Chicago Faculty Union, CFAC still only represents part-time faculty at the college and continues to be led by its president, Diana Vallera, a part-time faculty member in the Photography department.
The college respects the collective bargaining process, and I remain deeply committed to the Columbia model under which our part-time faculty are practitioners successfully engaged in their professional line of work (a characteristic that also applies to our full-time faculty). Our part-time faculty colleagues are an essential and valued part of our college, and our bargaining proposals have been intended to demonstrate that. READ MORE