During a board of trustees meeting on Monday, September 28, a number of Bellevue College faculty were seen holding a public demonstration on campus. Faculty gathered outside the president’s office with signs reading ‘Fair Contract Now’ to share their concerns with the administration’s recent changes regarding the college’s budget.
Led by BC’s faculty union, BCAHE, the event was spurred on by the current standstill in bargaining. Though negotiations have been underway for several months, an agreement is still yet to be made. As a result, BC faculty have been working without a contract in place thus far—hence the signs held during the demonstration. Still, the president maintains that good faith bargaining will continue until an agreement has been reached.
Furthermore, it comes after a longstanding discussion surrounding the decisions made by BC’s administration. Students and alumni may recall last year’s budget shortfall proposals, where many of our current programs were slated to be restructured or dissolved. This restructuring began as the administration sought to recoup funds in response to increased financial pressures such as state funding cuts and rising expenses. During this time, faculty had expressed concern with the apparent hastiness of decision making and asserted that more communication was necessary.
Given the breadth of the current topic, readers are encouraged to continue exploring past discussions surrounding the budget and negotiations. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as it develops over the coming months.
