The Santa Barbara City College Faculty Association (FA) is the collective bargaining agent for all faculty, both regular and adjunct, at SBCC. The Association's primary role is to negotiate with the District for salaries, benefits, and working conditions for the faculty. In addition, the Association assists individual faculty in the event of employment-related disputes and helps to ensure that faculty members understand and enjoy the rights to which they are entitled. In the process of this, the Association monitors both the activities of the District as well as developing changes in the law and employment practices in an effort to improve the working environment for faculty and the College as a whole.

The FA is an independent association, not affiliated with any larger collective bargaining organizations such as AFT, CTA, or the AAUP. The FA is a member of the California Community College Independents (CCCI), which is a consortium of other independent, community college bargaining agents from around the state. Currently, there are fifteen such independent organizations. Through CCCI, the FA shares information, strategies, and approaches to common issues. Additionally, the President of CCCI represents the Independents on the California Community College Consultation Council in Sacramento, as well as the Council of Faculty Organizations (COFO). Thus, through CCCI, your Faculty Association has direct input into the policy-making process of the system-wide Chancellor and Board of Governors.

SBCC has a long and productive history of shared governance through the Academic Senate. Because of this, faculty interests in the areas of governance, academic policies, and other academic and professional matters are represented through the Senate. The FA focuses on salary, benefits, and working conditions for faculty. Resulting in a "thin" contract. The FA and the Senate maintain a liaison relationship that works to complement the efforts of each body, and in the long run, bring the greatest benefit to the faculty and the college.