Glendale : Compromise on Contract

The Glendale College Guild of the California Federation of Teachers has reached a tentative accord with college district negotiators on a salary and health benefits package, guild President Lynn McMurrey said.

The compromise, which must be approved by guild vote before being presented to college trustees, would increase health-care deductibles from $100 to $200 and provide a 5% faculty salary increase over the next three years.

The tentative agreement would freeze faculty salaries this academic year, with 2% and 3% increases in the next two years.

The salary freeze, prompted by state budget cuts, would be the first in three years for Glendale Community College faculty. However, the agreement allows for staff salary to be renegotiated and adjusted to reflect cost-of-living increases if the state comes through with funding.

There are still points of contention between the district and the guild, which represents nearly 175 full-time faculty as well as part-time teachers. Among them is a faculty demand to reduce the workload of non-credit English as a Second Language teachers from 25 to 20 hours a week without a cut in pay.