2 Unions, College District Approve Three-Year Pacts

Acknowledging tough fiscal times, two key unions representing Los Angeles Community College District employees have agreed to three-year contracts that forgo salary increases in the first year.

Pay hikes for the next two years would be based on whatever cost-of-living increases flow to the district from the state, which provides much of the district’s funding.

Furthermore, the unions have agreed to consider changes in their health and other benefits packages that would save the district money, with negotiations to start in about a month.

The nine-campus system’s Board of Trustees voted 6 to 0 Wednesday to approve contracts for two branches of the American Federation of Teachers College Guild, Local 1521. The guild represents about 4,300 teachers, librarians and counselors and about 1,000 clerical and technical staff members.

The board also approved a contract eliminating pay raises during the current fiscal year for maintenance and operations workers, who are represented by Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union.

The terms of the contracts are likely to set the tone for negotiations with three remaining groups, Herbert Spillman, director of employee relations, said.

The guild contracts, which are retroactive to the fall of 1990 and will continue through the fall of 1993, are the result of protracted negotiations that began a year ago.

The contracts also reflect the budget realities facing public employees throughout California, as the governor and the Legislature struggle to close a projected $12.6-billion deficit. Republican Gov. Pete Wilson and some Democratic legislative leaders favor pay freezes for public employees as a part of the process of balancing the budget.

Gwen Hill, guild president, said she is pleased the contracts were negotiated with no loss of salary.

“All in all, the new contract flies in the face of (the) fiscal environment,” Hill said. She blamed federal budget policies and “district mismanagement,” as well as the recession-plagued state government, for the college district’s financial problems. Trustees balanced this year’s budget in part by draining reserves and slashing classes.

Art Forcier, the guild’s political representative, said the faculty’s “tremendous increase in productivity (by adding more students to classes) has really helped save this district, and everyone from the chancellor on down is acknowledging that.”

Forcier said the fact that the faculty guild’s contract was ratified by 88% of its membership is a sign that most employees are aware of the fiscal problems.

“Most are not ignoring reality,” Forcier said.

The board votes were taken in a celebratory atmosphere. Board President David Lopez-Lee said the contracts are “probably the most responsible” to be reached in the state this year by public employees.

“There are not a lot of wins in this but on the other hand there aren’t any losses either,” added Trustee Harold Garvin.

Also subject to negotiation this spring will be the school calendar. College officials have been trying to realign the district’s school year to fit better with the Cal State and University of California systems as well as with local school districts. He said salary increases for the next two years would be computed on a formula based on a state cost-of-living raise to colleges. For this year, the scale will remain the same as that for 1989-90, he added.

In the San Fernando Valley, the contract settlement will apply to teachers and other campus employees at Mission, Pierce and Valley colleges.