How to resolve AdBlock issue? The district and the Faculty Association of Yuba Community College District, or FAYCCD, reached that agreement late last week.
The district oversees both Yuba and Woodland colleges, the latter of which has a Lake County campus in Clearlake.
In a Friday statement to association members, the union’ Chief Negotiator Kevin Ferns said, “After 1,008 days of negotiations and 40 negotiations sessions with the District, the Faculty Association negotiations team has at long last reached a tentative agreement on our 2022-2026 contract. In our negotiations session yesterday, we reached verbal agreement on the remaining outstanding contract articles, which include compensation, benefits, evaluations, distance education, retirement stipends, and class size. While we did make some concessions by agreeing to more detailed evaluations forms, reduced retirement benefits for future hires (hired after January 1, 2025), and a cap on summer EP teaching load of 12 units, FAYCCD membership will receive a schedule increase each year of 80% of COLA, which equates to 15.36% over four years and includes retroactive pay for 2022/2023, 2023/2024, and Fall semester 2024.”
On Friday, Yuba Community College District Chancellor Dr. Shouan Pan and Dr. Travis Smith, the faculty union’s president, put out a joint statement announcing the agreement was reached after “2.5 years of rigorous negotiations.”
The statement continued:
“This agreement represents a significant step forward for our institution, our faculty, and, most importantly, our students. It reflects the shared commitment of both parties to fostering excellence in education, advancing equity, and ensuring the success of every student we serve.
“We acknowledge that this journey has not been easy and required perseverance, open dialogue, and a willingness to listen and collaborate. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the negotiating teams, who worked tirelessly and with steadfast dedication to reach this milestone.
“This tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the FAYCCD membership and approval by the Board of Trustees. We are confident that this agreement will lay the foundation for continued partnership and progress as we move forward together.
“Today’s achievement is not just an agreement on paper—it is a testament to the strength and resilience of our community. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for Yuba Community College District.
“Thank you for your patience, professionalism, and dedication throughout this process. We look forward to the next steps in finalizing this agreement and continuing our work to fulfill the mission of the District.”
PERB decision and growing tensions
The agreement followed months of increasing tensions between the district and its faculty, said to be among the lowest-compensated educators in the California Community College system.
The situation started coming to a head in the wake of a July ruling by the state Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB, that found the district violated labor law and workers’ rights in its negotiations with district faculty.
Specifically, PERB found that the district violated the Educational Employment Relations Act by eliminating the right of first refusal because it changed the procedure for assigning classes to full-time faculty without affording the union adequate notice and the opportunity to bargain the decision or effects of the change.
Pan and district officials had indicated they were considering an appeal of the decision, but the Sept. 16 deadline came and went without the district making that filing. Instead, Pan told Lake County News that the district was in negotiations with the faculty union on a new contract.
In the early fall, in response to negotiations appearing to be bogged down, faculty members began holding informational protests to bring attention to the situation.
In late October, the union called for new leadership at the district.
In an Oct. 29 Facebook post, the union said, “It’s time for the Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees to relieve Chancellor Shouan Pan of his position. Employees are not getting paid correctly for months on end, the District is still out of compliance with PERB, protracted negotiations with full-time faculty are costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, the faculty have lost faith and we need new leadership now!”
A breakthrough
By November, there were concerns that the start of the spring semester could be impacted by a staff strike if negotiations didn’t yield a new contract.
Smith told Lake County News on Dec. 2 that the union was “hoping for the best but preparing for the worst” while it waited for counter proposals from the district on its four remaining articles: compensation, benefits, class size and evaluations.
At that point, he said compensation proved to be the biggest hurdle to getting a new contract, which the union hasn’t had since July 2022.
He pointed to the district’s financial situation being “extremely strong” — with enrollments way up and the district having a robust reserve.
On Dec. 4, the district board held a special meeting to discuss labor negotiations with groups including FAYCCD.
Negotiations continued the next day, at which point the tentative agreement was reached.
Asked about what led to the breakthrough, Smith said it came down to pay and benefits.
“The District increased their compensation proposal and agreed to accept our seniority process to teach the classes we have been teaching and that proved to be the breakthrough,” he wrote in an email to Lake County News. “Although our membership will only receive 80% of the state-provided COLA, FAYCCD feels that it is important to our communities and students to accept the District’s offer and move forward.”
On Saturday, the association followed up with a Facebook post that said, “The Faculty Association extends our thanks to all of you who attended rallies, wrote letters, picketed, made signs, called board members, created videos, and shared our story with the community to help full-time faculty get a fair contract! THANK YOU!”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
