Higher Ed Week of Action: Full Funding, Fair Contracts

A Higher Ed Week of Action is uniting community college campuses across Connecticut to fight for the future of public higher education including fair contracts and fully funded colleges.

Sponsored by the higher education unions AFT Connecticut, AFSCME and the 4C's, demands include full funding for community colleges and the CSCU system, fair contracts and better working conditions, and more full time faculty and staff to support student success.

The kickoff rally, “Our Education, Our Future,” was held at Capital Community College in Hartford on the second day of the Special Legislative Session. Following pre-rally pizza, students, staff and faculty members talked about Funding Our Future, More Full-Time Staffing, and Fair Contracts for Workers. The rally was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association.

Rallies will be held on Tuesday November 18 at 1 pm at Manchester Community College (CT State Manchester) and on Thursday November 20 at 2:30 pm at Gateway Community College (CT State Gateway) in New Haven.

Connecticut’s public colleges are vital to workforce development and community opportunity, but they cannot thrive without stable funding and fair contracts that ensure full-time attention for students. 

“However. decades of underfunding have left our community college struggling to provide the same essential supports offered at every college, such as advising and tutoring to mental health services. Our students are more likely to be first-generation, come from underfunded K-12 school districts, and be working parents trying to build better lives. We’re rallying to demand the stable funding and fair contracts our colleges need because when our students succeed, our communities and our state thrive.” said the faculty.

Currently 75% of community college teaching faculty are part-time, with no health care benefits. Students deserve access to full-time faculty and staff to best educate them. Faculty deserve full-time jobs with good health care and benefits. “We are fighting to end this exploitation of our teaching faculty and ensure our community college students have access to full-time faculty inside and outside of the classroom."