PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Students at Community College of Philadelphia interjected themselves into faculty contract negotiations Friday, causing the administration to leave the session.
About two dozen students crowded into CCP’s boardroom to support the faculty union’s contract proposal that students be given free SEPTA rides to classes. Frank Scales, president-elect of the student government, contended transportation affects student attendance, so it should be part of the teacher contract.
“We wanted to advocate for TransPasses and deal with that,” he said. “The administration decided that they were not going to speak with students in the room.”
In a statement to KYW Newsradio, the college said the union violated a written agreement for bargaining rules. The college says it has “a good offer on the table, to which the union has refused to respond.”
Students plan to take their concerns to City Council and the May 2 CCP Board of Trustees meeting. It’s unclear whether they’ll continue to demand a seat at the bargaining table.
The AFT Local 2026 contract expires in August.
“One thing that’s important to us is getting more funding from the city so that we can get the things that we need for our students to be successful,” said AFT Local 2026 Treasurer Jamie Zigarelli. “And one of those things is public transportation. It’s a common good issue.”