FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Dyrcz
May 19, 2026 505-554-8679

Santa Fe – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland and Santa Fe Community College American Federation of Teachers-American Association of University Professors (SFCC AFT-AAUP) President Dr. Lenny Gannes released the following statements:

“Members of the bargaining team for Santa Fe Community College AFT-American Association of University Professors are proud to have reached a strong set of wins during our recent round of bargaining with the College on behalf of the entire bargaining unit.

“In addition to the salary increase provided this year by the Legislature, we successfully bargained over $425,000 to implement findings of a recent college-wide study which seeks to address issues related to faculty retention, cost-of-living, and appropriate compensation for years of service at SFCC.

“This means faculty members will correctly be placed on the salary schedule and account for up to seven years of prior service to the institution, resulting in increases in salary of up to $10,000 for some faculty. Bargaining also resulted in increased minimums and maximums on the existing salary schedule by 2.3%.

“In addition to wage increases, SFCC AFT-AAUP successfully bargained stronger union rights related to discipline notification and evaluation processes,” said Gannes.

“SFCC AFT-AAUP’s recent contract wins show the power of unions and collective bargaining. The bargaining team at SFCC did a great job fighting for their membership and ensuring their contract will continue to be a strong tool for protecting faculty at SFCC in the coming years.

“As higher education professionals continue to be subjected to rising costs and hostility from the federal government, strong contract wins will help to ensure that faculty can continue to keep the focus on their students and providing strong academic instruction,” said Holland.

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The SFCC AFT-AAUP Local #6667 is a joint-affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers
and the American Association of University Professors and is a local chapter of AFT New Mexico.