EL CAMINO COLLEGE : 3.25% Raise for Faculty Ends Bitter Dispute

Teachers, who have worked without a contract for nearly two years, have approved a three-year contract that includes a 3.25% raise.

The agreement ends a bitter dispute between college faculty and administrators over salaries. In June, frustrated teachers carried picket signs at the college’s graduation ceremonies.

Members of the teachers union, which represents 700 full- and part-time employees, voted about 3 to 2 last week in favor of the contract. College instructors now earn $29,000 to $60,000 a year.

College administrators had said dwindling funds from the state made significant salary increases impossible. To pay for the latest offer, the college will change the way that teachers’ salaries are calculated for work during summer months. Teachers now will be paid by the hour.

As a result, teachers who work during the summer will make proportionately less than they did before the new contract. Teachers who instruct in only fall and spring semesters will make more.