President’s Column – December 2021

Kudos to the negotiating team and leadership of AFT 6157, our main union, on your achievements in the recent round of bargaining, especially for securing dedicated funding for associate faculty pay parity, and for stronger SRP (seniority rehire preference) protections. When I was elected to my second term as union president in 2018, I said […]
First Annual Survey about Health Benefits for Pre-1982 Hires

By Ronald Levesque During October one particular retiree group was invited to complete a health insurance survey. Retirees who were hired before September 7, 1982 receive medical insurance through the District for themselves and a spouse. This group is unique in having this benefit, which was negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement, the last time […]
The Early History of Our Union

By Patrick Butler Before The Rodda Act was passed in 1976, faculty were forbidden from forming unions, and representatives of the Academic Senate of San Jose Junior College (as it was called then) met directly with the Governing Board and college administration to set salaries and teaching loads. The day-to-day operation of the college and […]
SJCC Celebrates 100 Years

By Alice Gosak San Jose City College’s Centennial was marked by two events during September. On Monday, September 13, a morning event was held on campus while classes were in session. The timing explained the absence of faculty and classified staff from the program. Dignitaries from the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County […]
The Golden Age of Music at SJCC

By Alice Gosak In the 1960s, the city of San Jose had few entertainment venues so the theater at San Jose City College became a focus of speaker events, plays and musical performances. A 1953 graduate of the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music, Darrell Johnston was hired to lead the Music Department at […]