The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild

What The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild does

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild (AFT Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFL-CIO) is a nonprofit labor union founded in 1977 that serves as the exclusive statutory bargaining representative for more than 4,000 full-time and adjunct faculty across the nine community colleges of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), plus approximately 300 retired faculty in its Emeritus Chapter. Its core operational product is collective bargaining and contract enforcement: it negotiates and administers the CBA covering wages, benefits, and working conditions (current agreement July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026, ratified with a 98% yes vote), runs grievance and arbitration processes (overseen by a Chief Grievance Officer), and pursues post-contract MOUs to expand enforceable protections in categories such as dual enrollment and in-language instruction.

The guild's underlying technology is conventional union infrastructure: a public website, member portal, email systems, digital forms for grievances and contract actions, and social media channels. It does not develop or license any proprietary software platform or AI/ML capability. Member services are delivered through a small staff of approximately 14 (Executive Director, organizers, communications-technology coordinator, accountant, membership coordinator, administrative support, and student intern coordinators) operating from a single headquarters at 3356 Barham Blvd., Los Angeles.

Revenue is generated almost entirely from membership dues structured as 1.6% of gross salary for active faculty (full-time and part-time), collected via payroll deduction or advance payment, with retired members paying either a one-time lifetime fee ($200 or $500 depending on retirement date), annual dues ($45), or a $3.75 monthly CalSTRS pension deduction. The guild retains autonomy over local governance through an elected Executive Board while drawing political, programmatic, and organizing support from affiliations with AFT (1.72 million members nationally), CFT, the California Labor Federation, and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

Name

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild

Legal name

Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, AFT Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFL-CIO

Website

https://aft-1521.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild (AFT 1521) is the exclusive collective bargaining representative for over 4,000 full-time and adjunct faculty across nine LACCD community colleges in California, providing contract negotiation, grievance handling, and member services funded by 1.6% salary-based dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Faculty advocacy
• Union membership dues
• Grievance and contract enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The primary revenue stream is membership dues. Active full-time and part-time faculty pay 1.6% of gross salary in advance or through payroll deductions. Retiree members pay either annual dues determined by the Executive Board or 1% of annual pension for active local membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild is a member-driven labor union that serves as the exclusive collective bargaining agent for over 4,000 full-time and adjunct faculty across nine community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). Its core offerings are union membership services: negotiated collective bargaining agreements (current 2023-2026 CBA), grievance handling and contract enforcement, political advocacy through COPE, and member support programs such as student debt clinics, EDD unemployment assistance, retirement/CalSTRS counseling, and scholarships.

Product overview

The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild (AFT 1521) operates as a member-driven union rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of union membership services including collective bargaining representation for over 4,000 full-time and adjunct faculty across nine LACCD campuses, contract enforcement and grievance handling, political advocacy through COPE, and member support programs such as student debt clinics, EDD unemployment assistance, and scholarship programs. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% YES vote on 2023-2026 Tentative Agreement ratification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• California Federation of Teachers (CFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide affiliate that unites community college faculty throughout California. AFT 1521 works with CFT on legislative advocacy, candidate endorsements, and broader labor movement activities. COPE donates to state campaigns through CFT.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide affiliate with over 1.72 million members, representing higher education faculty dedicated to serving students and communities. Provides access to national labor movement resources, political power, and member benefits programs including UnionPlus discounts.
• Los Angeles County Federation of LabormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFT 1521 supports local campaigns through the LA County Federation of Labor and participates in the broader LA labor movement for good jobs, social and economic justice, and workplace democracy.
• California Labor FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState labor federation that AFT 1521 works with on statewide labor campaigns and legislative priorities affecting workers and community colleges.
• Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerFACCC unites community college faculty throughout California, regardless of union membership, to support candidates for state office and pro-college faculty legislation. Guild faculty participate in FACCC campaigns alongside CFT activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: National federation of labor unions representing over 12 million workers. AFL-CIO is the parent labor federation that AFT 1521's parent (AFT) is affiliated with, providing broader labor movement coordination and political leverage.
• United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA): AFT-affiliated union representing K-12 teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District. UTLA is a geographic peer in the LA labor ecosystem performing similar collective bargaining, member representation, and political advocacy functions for an education workforce.
• National Education Association (NEA): Largest labor union in the United States representing K-12 and higher education faculty. NEA is a broad incumbent operating as a national-level counterpart to AFT in the education labor movement, with some overlapping community college representation.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): National parent federation with over 1.72 million members representing higher education and K-12 faculty. AFT is the national umbrella that provides AFT 1521 with resources, political reach, and member benefits programs, operating as a larger incumbent in the same labor movement space.

Emerging players

• American Association of University Professors (AAUP): Higher education advocacy and bargaining organization representing college and university faculty. AAUP overlaps with AFT 1521 in advancing academic freedom, working conditions, and shared governance for faculty members across higher education institutions.

Direct peers

• California Faculty Association (CFA): Exclusive bargaining agent for California State University (CSU) faculty, representing 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, and counselors. CFA is the closest functional peer, performing the same collective bargaining role for CSU faculty that AFT 1521 performs for LACCD faculty.
• California Federation of Teachers (CFT): Statewide affiliate union uniting community college faculty throughout California. CFT is the direct state-level counterpart and parent body that AFT 1521 is affiliated with, performing similar collective bargaining and political advocacy functions across California community colleges.

Others

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Large labor union representing healthcare, public sector, and property services workers. SEIU is a thematically related labor union with parallel organizing and collective bargaining models, though operating in adjacent rather than directly overlapping sectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aft1521
• Facebookfacebook.com/AFT1521
• Instagraminstagram.com/aft_1521
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aft-college-faculty-guild

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Los Angeles College Faculty Guild