The Federation negotiating team met with the District team on Friday, Oct. 14th.
The session began with the District questioning some of the numbers in Susana Prieto's salary study published in September's issue of Proof.
The Federation responded by noting that the numbers were correct and that the perceived error was the result of inconsistent terminology in the ECC salary schedule, which calls the 30-year anniversary increment a "step" even though it takes longer to reach than a typical step.
We also pointed out that regardless of terminology the results of our research are clear: Except at the entry level, El Camino faculty salaries are significantly lower than the average salaries at the seven area colleges used by the District for purposes of comparison. In this context, an increase in ECC faculty pay could accurately be called not a "raise" but a "catch-up."
Another takeaway from this initial discussion of salary: Faculty should read Proof carefully. It's obvious that Admin does.
The rest of the session was devoted to proposed adjustments in contract language. The Federation proposed adjustments, some minor, some more significant, regarding Article 3 (Rights of the Federation) and Article 20 (Faculty Evaluations). The District proposed a change to the evaluation process for probationary faculty due to a change in the Ed. Code.
No formal conclusions were reached or even attempted, the session being intended mainly as an opportunity for the exchange of viewpoints. Several more such exchanges will likely be necessary before the two sides can move toward agreement on particular issues.
Negotiations will resume Friday, October 28th, at which point things should get really interesting: The Federation and the District will exchange salary proposals.
Our proposal is a salary increase over three years of 6%, 4%, and 3%. It's what we deserve. And given the increased costs of our health benefits and STRS contributions, it's what we'll need.
We have some catching up to do. And as we work toward that goal, we appreciate your support.