Classes Resume After 1-Day Sickout at College

Students returned to class at Moorpark College on Wednesday, one day after nearly 100 teachers called in sick to show their displeasure with ongoing negotiations with the community college district.

As “Classes Canceled” signs were being removed from dozens of campus doors in Moorpark, negotiators for the Ventura County Community College District and the union representing teachers at the district’s three campuses were holding a bargaining session.

And a number of students Wednesday expressed support for the sickout campaign, which the union said it did not organize.

“It’s the only way to get their point across,” said Molly Sirota, 18, one of hundreds of Moorpark College students left without classes when 92 of the campus’ 530 teachers called in sick.

“I think it sucks how we put all our dollars into movie stars and football players and none of our dollars goes to education,” Sirota said.

Nearby at the Humanities Building, 20-year-old Joe Dichiaccio said that while all his teachers held classes this week, he would not have minded had they stayed home.

“I think what they did on Tuesday was a good thing because it got the administration’s attention and showed them if anything else, they meant business,” Dichiaccio said.

The sickout came after months of bitter disputes and rancorous negotiations between the district and union.

The American Federation of Teachers Local 1828, which represents the district’s 1,200 teachers, is demanding annual salary increases, better health benefits and better pay for part-time teachers. But district officials contend that the teachers are already well-paid and that such requests would increase the district’s debt.

On Wednesday, however, the two sides met again with a state mediator to resolve how many items they will place on the negotiating table for discussion. Both sides want to trim at least half of the 22 items. The parties plan to meet again Nov. 6.

The district’s chief negotiator said the sickout was a misguided strategy.

“The sickout was absolutely unnecessary,” said Richard Currier, a lawyer for the district. “What they need to do is come to the bargaining table and engage us in the proposals. . . . That’s what the bargaining process is all about.”

The end result of the sickout, he said, was that it only hurt the students. “Any time the faculty is not there, the students suffer,” Currier said.

Student Casey Seth, 20, agreed that negotiations are best dealt with off campus.

“They should probably do it outside and not affect the students,” he said while sipping a can of soda. “I don’t think it’s right to hurt us in the long run.”

Faculty members said they hoped to avoid a strike by grabbing the attention of the administration.

“There were endless talks and denouncements, and it seemed they were impervious to it,” said political science instructor Gerald Bridgeman, a 25-year veteran of Moorpark College. “The whole idea is simply to show faculty support for the union . . . to send a message to the district office, the message being that we are together.”

Full-time teachers are asking for a salary increase if the district receives a boost in its state money. The district has proposed eliminating an existing salary formula and instead giving teachers a 1.5% increase if additional state money comes through.

The union wants to increase benefits, while the district wants to cap them. The district wants the flexibility to transfer teachers anywhere among its campuses in Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura. In addition, district officials want to abolish a policy of allowing teachers to take a future semester off in exchange for increasing their present workload.

Bridgeman said that instead of concentrating on world politics, he must worry about attending union meetings, following district meetings and keeping up with contract matters.

“Get off my back,” he said. “Let me teach.”