Dear AFT Guild Classified Professional Members,
As we head into the spring recess, I just wanted to remind everyone about where we stand on a couple of negotiation related items:
1) 36 Hour Workweek Pilot
As Chancellor Smith wrote last week (his message is pasted in below for your reference in case you missed it), our reduced workweek pilot will come to an end next week.
However, I would have to say that the pilot has been a resounding success and accomplished exactly what it was intended to do: identify the areas where either extra staffing or other operational concerns need to be addressed in order for us to make this program permanent.
I am hopeful that with the data collected we will soon be able to reach agreement with the District regarding a permanent reduced hour workweek program which will not affect anyone’s monthly salary or CalPERS retirement calculations.
I will send additional updates as we progress through these negotiations. Stay tuned… 🤞🏼
2) 1.70% Off-Schedule Payments
As a a reminder, in order to position ourselves in the best place possible to be able to implement the reduced hour workweek, we agreed to “bank” our 1.70% on-schedule COLA this year in order to use it in the future to help offset the costs of this program.
In lieu of putting the 1.70% COLA on the salary schedule this year we will be receiving a one-time off-schedule salary payment equal to 1.70% of your gross earnings for calendar year 2025. This one-time payment will be paid out on your March 31, 2026 pay warrant.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
I hope you all get some well deserved time off next week!
In Solidarity,
Jim
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931
From: Gregory Smith <gsmith@sdccd.edu>
Subject: Chancellor’s Message: 36-Hour Workweek Operations Pilot Conclusion
Date: March 20, 2026 at 12:14:01 PM PDT
Good Afternoon SDCCD Community.
This email provides an update on the end of the 36-hour operations pilot, return to regular operation schedules, and next steps in collective bargaining.
On January 5th, our District implemented a 36-hour operations pilot which allowed most classified professionals and confidential employees, and many supervisors and managers, to reduce weekly work hours. On April 3rd, the pilot will conclude. When we return to work on Monday, April 6th, we will resume standard operating hours and work schedules, meaning a return to a 40-hour work week for full-time employees. The final two months of the academic year bring many time-sensitive activities and work demands which directly impact students’ ability to complete their degree and certificate programs, graduate, and transfer to four-year institutions.
Throughout the pilot, we have been collecting data on the impact of the operational and assigned work hours changes. Several departments and work units required additional work time to meet operational needs, such as periods of increased student need for services, supporting athletic and educational events, and responding to unplanned service requirements. I have personally reviewed and approved every request for additional work time and the associated costs. This data will be shared in upcoming collective bargaining meetings and will help determine the feasibility of a permanent change in operational and work hour schedules. We cannot predict the timeline for such negotiations and the District and AFT Classified Professionals have a shared interest in reaching a conclusion as quickly as possible.
I am grateful to everyone involved in planning, implementing, and executing this pilot. We have been assessing how work is performed, the interactions between departments and divisions that impact how effectively and efficiently we operate, the alignment of service availability and student needs, and many other aspects of how we operate. There have been several immediate improvements and many to come. We have also heard considerable positive feedback on work-life balance and healthy workplace environments.
Thank you for your contributions to our mission, students, and communities.
Greg
Gregory Smith (he, him, his)
Chancellor
From: Gregory Smith <gsmith@sdccd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 4:10 PM
Subject: Chancellor’s Message: 36-Hour Workweek Operations Pilot
Good Morning SDCCD Community,
The District and the AFT Guild, Local #1931 Classified Professionals unit recently completed negotiations on a 2025-2028 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). A key item in the negotiations has been a proposal for a reduced hour workweek for all Classified Professionals represented by the AFT. Over the last 18 months, the District and AFT bargaining representatives have been engaging in good faith negotiations to explore how a work hour reduction could be implemented without negatively impacting students, availability of services, or efficient operations. All of the other items under negotiation were resolved, so the District and AFT reached a tentative agreement on the new CBA and agreed to continue negotiations on the reduced hour workweek proposal separately.
The negotiations have included the potential for a short-term pilot for a reduced hour workweek that would provide more concrete data and information on the impacts to services and operations. While we have some information from summer months when the colleges shift most operations to Monday through Thursday and close on Friday, it is difficult to extrapolate those findings to the impact of reducing work schedules when we operate at full capacity during the fall and spring semesters.
In the interest of continuing our good faith negotiations and developing the data and information necessary to conclude negotiations on this item, the District and AFT have agreed to implement a pilot 36-hour workweek schedule for all Classified Professionals beginning January 5th and ending at the conclusion of spring break on April 3rd. This will be implemented in most departments and offices by reducing Friday service hours, as currently happens in many student service-oriented offices. Specific hours of operation will be determined within each College’s and District’s divisions according to operational and program needs. The majority of instruction occurs Monday through Thursday, so this approach will reduce the likelihood of any negative impact on classroom faculty or instruction. Specific areas will adopt alternative schedules that maintain current service hours on Fridays based on operational need. In those areas, adjustments to service hours or specific employee work schedules will be made on other days to minimize or eliminate any impact on current services while achieving the 36-hour work week for our Classified Professionals.
While this pilot is being conducted within bargaining with the AFT Classified Professionals, the workweek reduction will apply to unrepresented confidential employees equally. Overtime exempt supervisory and management employees and Police Department employees will have some work hour reductions as well, with flexibility necessary to ensure public safety, complete critical work assignments, attend scheduled meetings and events, and conduct other necessary business on Fridays. Specific impacts will be discussed with each bargaining/meet-and-confer unit and within each department and division.
I encourage everyone to embrace this opportunity to critically assess how we currently operate in many areas and identify ways we might improve the quality of our work while expanding work-life balance. Your feedback on what worked well and what can be improved will help guide our organizational growth and development independent of the outcome of collective bargaining. There will be extensive implementation planning heading into January, including methods for collecting quantitative and qualitative feedback.
Thank you,
Greg
Gregory Smith (he, him, his)
Chancellor