College District Seeks to Resume Pay Talks

After three months of suspended negotiations, trustees of the Ventura County Community College District say they have asked their negotiator to try to resume talks between the district and the faculty’s union.

The trustees Tuesday ordered their negotiator to meet again with a neutral mediator, the first step toward reopening talks with the teachers.

The two sides halted negotiations in November when the mediator refused to continue, saying the positions of administrators and faculty were too far apart to make the sessions worthwhile.

“It’s just been long enough,” Trustee Timothy Hirschberg said.

Trustee Pete Tafoya said he believes that the issue should be settled soon.

“It’s critical that we negotiate and that we negotiate to a mutually satisfiable ending for the both of us,” he said. “And you can’t negotiate if you’re not at the table.”

Meanwhile, faculty members said they were surprised that it has taken so long to get district administrators back to the bargaining table.

“It’s been peculiar as hell to let it go on this long,” said Barbara Hoffman, president of the teachers union and a counselor at Ventura College. “It would have been normal to do it in December.”

The teachers and district have been arguing over the 1993-94 contract since April. The teachers, who as a group have not had a raise in three years, want a 3% pay hike and a cost-of-living increase. But college leaders said that the district is fiscally strapped and that they want to keep salaries at present levels and have the teachers share in the cost of health benefits.

“The board feels beleaguered, not just by the teachers’ protests,” Hirschberg said. “It is beleaguered by the dim economy, the low enrollment and the students who want more classes.”