1-Day Sickout Strains Services at Orange Schools : Labor: Action by 900 non-teaching employees idles school buses as well as after-school programs. Union wants to reopen contract talks with district.

Although classes went on as scheduled, about 900 non-teaching employees in the Orange Unified School District staged a one-day sickout Tuesday, virtually shutting down the school bus system and after-school programs as well as causing menu changes for its 26,000 students.

While sickout participants are expected to return to work today, members of the California School Employees Assn. will meet tonight to discuss a strike. The union represents the district’s 1,160 non-teaching employees, including bus drivers and food service, custodial and clerical workers.

Union representatives hope Tuesday’s sickout will pressure district officials to reopen talks about a controversial board-imposed contract, which went into effect April 10. The union has accused the district of unfair labor practices during negotiations. The contract cut health benefits, imposed furloughs and empowered the district to reduce hours or lay off workers without negotiating.

“I hope the district sees that it’s not just leadership of CSEA, it’s the rank-and-file,” said union President Becky Mayers. “If they continue along this same line of not talking, then we are going to have to get the strike signs out.”

But Tuesday afternoon, district officials said they had no intention of renegotiating the contract, and denied the district had treated the union unfairly during 11 months of negotiations.

District officials said they approved the union contract to keep the cash-strapped school system solvent. The contract saved the district $484,000 and helped close a $2.2-million shortfall in the district’s $107-million budget.

“The district was well within legal requirements during negotiations,” said Jack Elsner, head of district personnel. “I realize it’s been frustrating for CSEA, but it’s been frustrating for the district, too. They just have to face reality and realize it’s not like it used to be, there isn’t a big pot of money anymore.”

District and union officials said Tuesday they will meet later this week.

Union officials say they called for the sickout after a key district negotiator failed to attend a meeting last Friday. But district officials say the union was informed the negotiator wasn’t going to show up.

The district has been bracing for a possible sickout or strike since early April when union membership authorized a job action.

Because of the sickout, students normally accustomed to hot lunches were supplied cold ones instead, district officials reported. And many district-run child care facilities, which watch students before and after school hours, were unstaffed Tuesday, officials said.

The sickout’s largest impact was felt by school bus riders, about 7,000 students each day. District officials said most bused students made it to school Tuesday by getting rides from parents or neighbors.

“It definitely caused some inconvenience,” said Cheryl Cohen, principal at Crescent Intermediate School, which buses the highest percentage of children to school in the district. “But there wasn’t any service that we normally have that didn’t get covered today.”

At district headquarters, staff fielded about twice the usual volume of phone calls.

“There have been a lot of questions, but not a lot of complaints,” said interim Supt. Marilyn Corey.

The district has established an information number that provides instructions to parents on what to do in the event of another sickout or a strike. The number is (714) 532-6987.