College Teachers Shun Offer, Threaten Strike

With teachers for the Ventura County Community College District balking Monday at the district’s latest offer to settle a long-running labor dispute, both sides began girding for the possibility of a strike.

Trustees tonight are poised to adopt an emergency resolution aimed at keeping the three colleges open should the district’s 1,400 teachers and faculty members decide to walk out.

The resolution, in part, would empower Chancellor Philip Westin to hire part-time teachers to continue instruction and security guards to patrol the campuses.

“We had a proposal on the table until 2 today,” said Deputy Chancellor Mike Gregoryk, who is also the district’s chief negotiator. “They didn’t respond.”

The 2 p.m. cutoff was the teachers union deadline to accept the district’s latest proposal. When it didn’t respond, the offer was withdrawn.

Teachers dismissed the offer as “an insult.” The educators are preparing to hold a strike vote in early August.

During a bargaining meeting last week, teachers said, they offered a counterproposal that included major compromises. It called for a drastically reduced pay raise for teachers--2.9%.

“We moved an incredible amount,” said Ventura College art teacher Harry Korn, noting that even an independent fact-finder had recommended a 5.7% increase. “We moved 50% from what the fact finder had recommended.”

Teachers were also willing to relinquish job security rights for part-time employees, Korn said, a major sticking point in negotiations, which have been ongoing for 17 months.

“You have no idea how many teachers were upset about that,” said Larry Miller, a Moorpark College biology teacher who also is president of the Ventura County branch of the California Federation of College Teachers.

Of the 1,400 teachers and faculty members at Ventura, Oxnard and Moorpark colleges, about 1,000 hold part-time positions. The union has about 900 members.

“We are trying to get a settlement so we won’t have to strike,” Miller said.

But with negotiations nearing a critical point, some students worried Monday that’s exactly what might happen.

Lydia Jara, 21, of Oxnard, is taking a mathematics course at Ventura College to help her pass a math test required for entrance to Cal Lutheran University.

“I think I could forget what I’ve learned,” said Jara, who wants to transfer to the Thousand Oaks university. “If I had to wait until they settle everything [to finish the class], that could hurt my plan.”

District officials said they hoped to prevent that from happening, offering a settlement they say “includes unprecedented, major concessions from previous proposals by the district.”

But when presented a counterproposal, district officials said they wouldn’t budge any further.

Union officials charge that the district never intended to negotiate in good faith.

“They walked out of the negotiations,” Miller recalled of a meeting last Thursday. “They said they would not counter it and did not set a date for future negotiations. They didn’t even ask about it. It’s their union-busting style.”

All teachers will be invited to take part in a strike vote in early August. A simple majority is needed before a strike can take place.

If a strike is called, Miller said, district officials will be hard-pressed to find teachers to step in. State law requires community college instructors to have master’s degrees in the disciplines they teach, Miller said.

“It’s the lowest unemployment rate this county has seen in years,” Miller said. “And they’re going to be out there looking for skilled labor with master’s degrees when they can’t even staff the classes they have now.”

At Ventura College on Monday, some students said they would support teachers who chose to strike.

“The college is not using the money wisely,” said Terry Washington, 25, a second-year student from Port Hueneme. “I think they deserve more money. It’s not just teachers, the entire faculty.”

Also on Monday, some teachers complained about the appointment of Jack P. Lipton as the district’s interim vice chancellor for human resources. Lipton is a Camarillo lawyer who has represented management in labor conflicts.

“It’s unbelievable,” Miller said. “They hired the fox to take care of the chickens.”

Lipton was not available for comment Monday. But Gregoryk, the deputy chancellor, defended having Lipton hold the post while the district continues a national search to fill the position permanently.

“We do not hire people to work against teachers,” Gregoryk said.

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Times staff writer Miguel Bustillo contributed to this story.