The WPEA contract with Highline College has been approved by the college’s Board of Trustees!

Thank you to everyone who gave their input and helps with the bargaining process. This bargaining cycle was far less contentious than the last one, and I think it has gone a long way to helping repair relations between the union and the college. It doesn’t fix them, but we are making inroads.

This meeting was quite short, with most reports standing. If you would like to view the area reports, you can find them here. I would like to do a quick shoutout to our members in facilities/groundskeeping, ITS, and student services for their hard work over the summer. We have seen vast improvements to the grounds aesthetic, major upgrades to the Turtle and Mt Townsend A/V systems to make hybrid meetings more accessible, and a lot of preparation for fall quarter and welcoming all of our new and returning students.

The Other Big News

In news that shocked just about everyone not on the board, they announced the college will be pursuing the purchase of 23835 Pacific Highway S.

The rationale behind this move is that according to the state, we will not receive funding for the new welcome center until at least 2039-2040. Meanwhile many of our buildings have outlived their “usable lifespan,” as many of us are painfully aware.

This has, of course, raised many questions among staff and others who were present: If we have the money to buy a building, why can’t we repair the ones we have? How much will upgrades/remodel of the new building cost? Will this building only serve as the welcome center/replace building 6, or will it also move faculty/offices/classrooms from other outdated buildings? Has the Welcome Center been prioritized over classroom spaces, and why?

At this point, we don’t have the answers. The entire discussion was handled during the executive session, which is not open to the public. Right now all we can do is wait for updates from the powers that be, though that doesn’t mean we should wait patiently or silently in the mean time. As of this writing, we do not know when they plan to share any of this information with the campus as a whole or when updates will become available.

Watch this space, I’ll share more as I get more information.