CONEJO VALLEY : Teachers Boycott Employee Awards

Members of a Conejo Valley teachers union boycotted an awards ceremony for longtime district employees this week to protest stalled contract talks.

Forty teachers did not attend the ninth annual Employee Service Awards on Monday at Westlake High School, Conejo Valley Unified School District officials said.

A total of 77 people, including 54 teachers and 23 administrators and classified employees, were scheduled to receive awards for 15 to 30 years of employment with the district.

The executive board of the Unified Assn. of Conejo Teachers had suggested that teachers boycott the awards program.

“There was a feeling that it was an insult to the teachers,” said Sydney Stein, who teaches eighth-grade history and math at Redwood Intermediate School. “Some of them felt that instead of being given a piece of paper and a paperweight, they would rather have respect and a contract.”

The teachers contract expired June 30.

Leean Nemeroff, an assistant superintendent who served as mistress of ceremonies, said this is the first time that she remembers the union boycotting the event. She said she did not know how many of the 40 teachers were protesting and how many had other commitments.

“I received phone calls and letters from teachers who said they just didn’t feel they could attend,” Nemeroff said.

The union, which represents 712 members, is seeking a 10% raise for the 1990-91 school year, but the district has offered 4% this year and 3.2% for each of the following two years.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume Dec. 11.