Faculty Sickout Leaves Campuses Empty : Education: The union protest over stalled contract negotiations spreads to Moorpark and Oxnard colleges.

The faculty sickout that began at Ventura College earlier this week spread to Moorpark and Oxnard colleges Wednesday, virtually closing down both campuses.

Protesting stalled contract negotiations with the Ventura County Community College District, 88 of 146 full-time faculty members called in sick at Moorpark College and 34 of 76 stayed away from Oxnard, district officials said.

On Tuesday, 65 of 145 full-time Ventura teachers stayed home, but most returned Wednesday, a school spokesperson said.

The 1,000-member Ventura County Federation of College Teachers staged the sickout to dramatize its impasse with the district. Working without a contract since last July and without a raise since 1991, the union is seeking a cost-of-living adjustment and a 3% raise for full-time teachers, union officials said.

The district’s highest-paid full-time faculty members--those with doctorates--receive $58,000 a year and the lowest-paid full-time teacher gets $30,300. Meeting union demands would cost the district an estimated $1.5 million, said Jerry Pauley, associate vice chancellor of human resources.

Pauley said the funding is not available from the state, but union President Barbara Hoffman disagreed.

“Sure the state has the money,” she said. “It’s a matter of priorities. We think it’s penny-wise and pound-foolish to fix parking lots and not take care of the faculty.”

Does Hoffman think the sickout has been effective? “It certainly has sent a message,” she said. “My fondest hope is that the district calls the mediator and says ‘Let’s talk. Let’s get this thing settled.’ ”

At 5,400-student Oxnard College, the campus was nearly deserted Wednesday, and those students who did show up reacted to the sickout with mixed emotions.

“I like it,” said Denny Purnomo, a 21-year-old Oxnard student who had three classes canceled. “If this was finals week, it would hurt, but with the holiday, the timing is good. Now I get five days off.”

Others at Oxnard were angry at the faculty. “We’re not getting what we pay for,” said Oxnard’s Steve Arevalo, 29. “We missed a biology class, and if I have to make up the work, it’s going to put an extra strain on me.”

Blanca Rodriguez, 19, didn’t find out about the sickout until she arrived for a 10 a.m. sociology class and found a yellow “canceled” sign taped to the door.

“I came all the way over here for nothing,” she said. “I could have finished packing for my trip or gone shopping or slept in. It’s a bummer.”

Moorpark College was quiet on Wednesday afternoon, with few of the 11,100 students roaming the campus and white “class cancellation” notices affixed to nearly every classroom door.

Armel Gomez, 20, didn’t know about the sickout until he arrived for a 1 p.m. history test. “I’d been preparing for the test and (the teacher) didn’t call or tell anyone,” Gomez said.

At Oxnard College, electronics instructor Ed Lynch defied the union and came to work “because it’s my job,” he said. “I don’t think anybody in our occupation should call in sick. The students are sacrificing a lot to go to school, and we’ll let them down if we don’t come in.”

Bob Chatenever taught his air-conditioning, heating and refrigeration classes Wednesday at Oxnard. He criticized the union for “being inconsiderate to the students, who haven’t caused the problem. It’s not fair to punish them.”

Hoffman countered by saying that students would be hurt in the future if the district can’t attract quality teachers. “This is a little pain now to prevent a lot of pain later,” the union president said.

While Wednesday’s classes were disrupted at Moorpark and Oxnard colleges, life returned to normal for Ventura’s 12,000 students. Robin Todd, 19, tried to sum up student reaction to the sickout.

“Some students didn’t care,” he said. “Some were happy--it was a free day. Some serious students may have been irritated because their teachers weren’t really sick and could have fulfilled their obligations as teachers.”

Ventura French teacher Alice Slaton joined her colleagues in the sickout Tuesday but was back in class Wednesday.

“I don’t think the teachers have ever been as unified,” said Slaton, a teacher at Ventura for 24 years. “I hope something positive comes out of this.”

Slaton said she held no hard feelings toward teachers who did not participate in the protest.

District officials said teachers who called in sick would not be disciplined.

The district’s three campuses will be closed today and Friday and reopen Monday. The union isn’t planning another sickout next week but will stage informational picketing at Oxnard on Wednesday, Moorpark on Thursday and Ventura on Friday to “explain the issues,” Hoffman said.

Times correspondent James Maiella Jr. contributed to this story.