Staff at MJC, Columbia were offered 3% salary adjustment. Faculty got almost 9%
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Faculty received a cost-of-living adjustment almost three times larger than classified staff.
- Union claims discrepancy violates a contractual 'Me Too' clause on equity.
- District posted surpluses for five years; reserves rose 72% since 2020.
Classified staff of the Yosemite Community College District, which includes Modesto Junior College, are protesting what they call an unfair deal — that faculty members will receive a higher cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their pay for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.
The California School Employees Association stated YCCD staff were offered a 3% COLA while faculty was given an 8.7% increase.
Classified staff includes administration, sanitation, maintenance and facility workers who do not work in management. Faculty members include professors, lecturers, instructors and counselors. Minimum starting pay for YCCD staff members is about $39,000 per year. The minimum starting pay for faculty is about $76,000 per year.
CSEA says the discrepancy violates a ‘Me Too’ clause in its agreement with the district, which stipulates that any raise in COLA for staff must be equal to what faculty gets.
Staff workers are confused why the district would give such an increase to faculty and not offer the same to them. Their analysis shows the district could afford to do it. Many staff workers feel like they’re not as appreciated as faculty is, though they’re just as important.
“They’re in the classroom and we’re outside of the classroom. Together, we uphold this institution, to be able to serve students and provide an education for our community,” said Lisa Schut, a program specialist who has worked at YCCD for 28 years. “You can’t do it without faculty, but you also can’t do it without being classified.”
Negotiations between CSEA and the district failed ahead of the previous contract’s June expiration. The district’s contract with Yosemite Faculty Association — the union representing faculty — had its COLA allocated for in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
This has led CSEA to hold rallies throughout the summer and bring about 80 of its members to a board of trustees meeting Sept. 10. Public comments from CSEA staff conveyed feeling undervalued, ignored and insulted by the discrepancy in COLA.
Melissa Clark — a scholarship technician who’s worked for YCCD for 26 years — implored board members to remember when they were students and asked if campuses were clean, safe and accommodating because of the work of classified staff.
“The moment a student calls or steps foot on our campus, we are on duty… whether assisting with registration, applying and completing the process for financial aid, preparing food so a hungry student can eat, or offering a clean restroom or a place to sit and study in the shade of a trimmed tree on the freshly cut grass.”
Complaints against chancellor
YCCD Interim Chancellor Lena Tran was appointed in May through a nonstandard hiring process, following a controversial tenure as president of Columbia College. In November, Tran received a vote of no confidence from Columbia College’s Academic Senate and its Classified Senate. The vote was supported by MJC’s Academic Senate. Tran was also asked to step down, but she declined.
According to several sources, Tran has said things in the past that made staff feel she looked down on them.
In a December interview with The Bee, Tran noted she brought on a consultant to help improve communication. However, several staff members said comments made during a staff breakfast in August haven’t shown improvement in that regard.
According to a statement from MJC employee Ian Miller and other sources, Tran implied that her time as a classified employee was a steppingstone and made comments implying that because she had a master’s degree, she didn’t belong there.
“Many of us have degrees, too. The difference is that many of us choose to stay because we have the passion to help students at the foundational level,” read Miller’s statement. “That’s where our pride is. But the message we keep getting — through pejoratives, through lowball counteroffers — is clear: Unless we hold the title of faculty, our work doesn’t matter.”
Tran was unavailable for comment to The Bee, according to her office. A request for comment from YCCD as a whole was forwarded to its attorneys, who declined. Tran did, however, address classified staff in the audience at Sept. 10’s meeting and thanked them for showing up.
“I’ll be honest with you as I sit here, it’s difficult… and times like (these are) hard, but I do want to say that I appreciate your thoughts, your commitment and your professionalism to have this space so that we can continue this dialogue,” said Tran.
But some staff members aren’t buying it. They hear the appreciation and thanks but don’t see it materialize through the district’s actions.
“It feels like lip service at this point in time. ... we’re not asking for more, we’re asking for the same. We’re asking for (the contract) to be treated equally and fairly,” Schut said.
“The means to do what’s right.”
A budget analysis by CSEA shows the district has the money to raise classified staff’s COLA to the 8.7% given to its faculty. YCCD’s budget analysis presented to the board Sept. 10 appears to back this up.
According to CSEA’s analysis, the district has had an annual surplus for the past five years. Its current reserves sit at $56.9 million — a 72% increase since 2020.
CSEA’s analysis also showed the cost of raising classified staff’s COLA is $3.1 million annually — which would represent about 25% of the district’s average annual surplus.
“You have an opportunity here to honor that contractual commitment and demonstrate that this district keeps its word and the means to do what’s right.” said Patrick Krebbs, a campus safety officer and former CSEA president. “The district’s financial stewardship has been exceptional, creating the capacity to treat employees fairly.”
YCCD Vice Chancellor Trevor Stewart’s budget presentation at the Sept. 10 meeting showed the district had $14 million more in revenue than it originally budgeted for during the 2024-25 fiscal year. This was attributed to an increase in both state and local funding.
The district’s fund balance was also projected to lose $13.5 million that year. Instead, it added about $10.8 million. This money, Stewart said, would go into the district’s reserves.
“We are fiscally conservative and we know in this district that there have been some very difficult budget times,” said Stewart. “And I think that continuing to maintain a solid reserve is important for the future.”
Could a strike happen?
Carol Black, a CSEA labor relations representative, said the union submitted a counteroffer to the district on Sept. 2 but did not disclose what it was.
When asked if CSEA was willing to organize a strike, Black said, “It’s not about a strike, it’s about getting the employer to comply with the contract.”
“We’re hoping that the parties can come together and have some type of agreement,” said Black. “There’s been at least five sessions, so we believe there’s room to reach an agreement.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 8:35 AM.
