Contract Talks Break Down in College District

Contract negotiations between the teachers union and the Ventura County Community College District broke down Thursday because of a dispute over a raise in salary and health benefits, officials said.

District officials said they informed union representatives that they will file a notice of impasse next week with the Public Employment Relations Board, a state agency that enforces collective bargaining laws.

Once it receives notification, the labor board will decide whether the district and the union have room to continue negotiations. At that point, the board will either appoint a state mediator or direct both parties back to the bargaining table.

The American Teachers Federation Local 1828 is pushing for an 8% raise for 750 part-time faculty and 410 full-time faculty at Oxnard, Ventura and Moorpark colleges. The union is also holding out for unrestricted health benefits for its members.

But college district officials do not want to allow any salary increases at a time when the district is facing a drastic shortfall in state funding. College officials also want to curb escalating health care costs by imposing a limit on the amount of medical benefits the district would pay for any individual.

For the past five months, union and district officials have been negotiating without success on settling faculty contracts for this school year and retroactive salary increases for last year, said Jerry Pauley, head of personnel and chief negotiator for the district’s administration.

“If you got loads of money you can get it over with in a month,” Pauley said. “If you’re broke, usually it will go all year long.”

Union officials said they were not surprised that the district planned to declare the negotiations are at an impasse.

“The talks have been dragging a bit,” said Barbara Hoffman, president of the local chapter of the American Teachers Federation.

If a state mediator cannot revive the talks, the labor board could appoint an independent fact-finder to conduct an investigation and issue recommendations.

The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees then will have the final say about what kind of contract will be adopted.

Sources said the board voted unanimously in closed session last weekend to declare an impasse in negotiations.

“I think the impasse is a symbol of fiscal problems that we have in the Ventura County district, and a growing sign of the fiscal crisis that we have in the state of California,” board President Gregory P. Cole said.

Cole said he expects board members to take some political heat in coming months from the union. Cole said he did not know if his fellow board members will give in to the union’s demands. But he vowed that he would not advocate any pay raises and will continue to push for a cap on health benefits.

Teachers have not had a raise for three years. Salaries for full-time faculty range from $27,620 to $58,002, with the average teacher earning $49,000, Pauley said.

“The union thinks we’re hoarding money,” said Pauley, who insists that the district cannot afford to fund raises.

Union officials say the district is top-heavy with management and should trim costs by eliminating administrative positions.

The union is particularly incensed about the district’s proposal to limit health benefits. “It’s not going to stand, we’re just not going to do it,” Hoffman said. She has hinted that teachers might get mad enough to strike this spring.

Teachers have talked about striking before but have never gone on strike, Hoffman said.

The last time that the union and district reached an impasse was in 1987, and a fact-finder later concluded that teachers should receive a 6% salary increase. The district’s trustees adopted the fact-finder’s recommendation.

NEXT STEP

Once Ventura County Community College District officials file the notice of impasse, the Public Employment Relations Board will decide whether the district and teachers’ union have room for continued negotiations or need a state mediator to help break the deadlock.