Faculty members at Green River College, which has campuses in Auburn, Kent and Enumclaw, are on strike through Wednesday protesting proposed cuts to 11 programs, including criminal justice, French and occupational therapy.
In response, the college’s board of trustees said it will file a request for an injunction to halt the walkout.
On Monday morning, faculty carried signs saying "Program Cuts Hurt Students" and "Attention, Gov. Inslee, We Need You" and chanted, "No more cuts."
Jaeney Hoene is a tenured English instructor at the college and president of the union, the Green River United Faculty Coalition Local 2195.
She said the college president, Eileen Ely, is making the cuts as a way to retaliate against union members who have questioned her decisions. The union has taken a vote of no confidence three times against Ely.
"Her program cuts are designed to hurt and silence faculty and our union, but our students and the community are collaterally damaged," Hoene said.
Catherine Ushka, acting public information officer for Green River College, denied that retaliation against the union is a motive for the cuts and said they were triggered by financial reasons, including a drop in state funding. She said the school faces a budget shortfall of about $4.5 million.
"Ultimately President Ely is in a position of needing to make these changes as part of her role and they’re difficult ones to make," Ushka said. "Everyone loves their program and nobody ever wants to make any cuts, the administration included."
Members of the faculty union said they’re not convinced there’s a budget crisis and that the school has other sources of revenue it could use instead of resorting to cuts.
Ushka said the college is keeping areas such as the library and the student union open as study areas during the strike.
Some students joined the teachers on the picket line, including Amanda Bentz, who is in her second year studying criminal justice and fine arts. The criminal justice program is one of the ones listed for potential cuts.
Bentz said she supports the faculty walkout, but some students have expressed concerns.
“I think that the strike is a little bit scary for everyone because we’re getting towards the end of the quarter and summer quarter is coming and there are people trying to graduate this quarter and they’re afraid of what is going to happen," she said. "But at the same time, we want our programs.”
