Contract negotiations
Staff time plus legal, economic, and educational research needed to develop and negotiate our bargaining program.
Questions People Are Asking
Who is AFT Guild?
The American Federation of Teachers is a national union representing educators, higher-education faculty and professional staff, paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel, public employees, and healthcare workers. In San Diego County, AFT Guild Local 1931 is a member-driven affiliate representing community-college classified professionals, faculty, and hourly workers. AFT provides bargaining, organizing, research, training, and legal support.
MiraCosta Classified Professionals would form their own local unit and elect their own officers and stewards. The AFT Guild would provide professional support, but the local unit would be run by MiraCosta employees.
When I sign an AFT Guild Authorization Card am I also becoming an AFT Guild member?
Yes! The card is both an authorization card for the AFT Guild to officially become our union AND a membership card so you can vote and participate in all future negotiations, surveys and member events.
When will membership dues begin and how much do they cost?
Dues will begin in the pay period following our official recognition as the exclusive representative (union) for MCC Classified Professionals. Our union dues rate is 1.5% of your gross earnings, paid only while on paid status.
Why do we have to pay dues?
Getting the benefits of a union costs money. That is done through dues.
Why We Pay Dues
Dues are how members pool resources to build effective, reliable, and fair representation for themselves and their colleagues. They support the year-round work required to negotiate a strong contract, protect employee rights, and keep members informed and involved.
Representation and enforcement
Ongoing help protecting employee rights and enforcing the commitments in a collective bargaining agreement.
Legislative advocacy
Work by the local, state, and national union to monitor legislation affecting community college funding, working conditions, and benefits.
Member voice and benefits
Members can vote for and run for Guild office and may access AFT-sponsored insurance, legal, identity-protection, and discount programs.
Strength comes from active union membership. Dues provide the shared resources; members set priorities, participate in the union, and choose the leaders who carry that work forward.
Cost of Dues
AFT Guild dues are 1.5% of gross pay in each paid month, with a $21 monthly minimum. MiraCosta local unit dues will be determined later; local dues are typically about $2–$3 per month.
The percentage rate is the same for 10-, 11-, and 12-month employees. Dues are owed only in months when an employee is paid, so a 10-month employee pays dues in 10 months, an 11-month employee in 11 months, and a 12-month employee in 12 months.
Can the district take away healthcare or salary or make changes to our current working conditions once our union is recognized?
No, as soon as AFT Guild, Local 1931 becomes the exclusive representative (union) no changes to working conditions can occur without negotiation between the district and our union and ratification by our membership. This is why it is urgent that we unionize before any District initiated “take backs” can occur.
Can our union make changes to working conditions without the support of MCC Classified Professionals union members?
No, before any negotiations begin, our union will: create a negotiating team made up of MCC Classified Professional members, survey all union members to get information about priorities to negotiate for in our first contract, provide detailed articles the team intends to propose in negotiations for a vote by membership. We are all THE UNION!
Why is it important to negotiate a Union contract between the AFT and the MCCCD?
A union contract is the only way your rights, salaries, benefits, and working conditions can be protected since it is a legally binding document on both the Union and the District.
Can I participate in surveys, member events, negotiation update meetings and other union events without signing an authorization/membership card?
No, only members can participate in the democratic processes of our union and access updates and events. We are only strong at the bargaining table if we have high membership numbers from the start!
What would happen to the Classified Senate?
A union and the Classified Senate serve different purposes. The Senate participates in shared governance and campus decision-making. A union bargains over wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions and enforces the resulting contract. Both can continue to serve Classified Professionals.
I was hired before 2018. Why should I support a union?
A union protects existing compensation and benefits while giving all employees a stronger voice in future negotiations. The goal is not to take longevity away from pre-2018 employees. It is to protect what employees have earned and improve the system for those who were left behind.
I was hired after 2018. Why should I support a union?
The five-step salary schedule sharply limits long-term salary growth. A union could bargain for additional steps, stronger longevity payments, better benefits, or other improvements that recognize continued service.
What happens next?
We are gathering sign-up cards now. Attend an Event and sign a card or email the organizing team to arrange for a card to be brought to you. Once enough eligible employees sign, the cards can be submitted for verification through the state recognition process.
After recognition, we will establish our MiraCosta chapter, elect local leadership, identify bargaining priorities with members, and begin negotiating our first contract.