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Contract negotiations move closer to crunch time
The Advocate
Another mediation session has been set for next week in the MHCC full-time faculty contract negotiations as the clock ticks ever louder and a late-March showdown moves ever closer.
The administration and the faculty association have submitted their fi nal proposals, including economic impact, to the state Employment Relations Board.
A mediation date has been scheduled for Thursday, with March 16 being left open to meet again if the mediator deems that date necessary. The state-appointed mediator is Robert Nightingale, who also presided over two mediation sessions in January.
Randy Stedman, the chief negotiator for the administration, said Wednesday, "The only reason the mediator wouldn't come (for the second session) is if he feels there won't be a settlement."
Asked if the administration would be willing to return to face-to-face talks if the mediation sessions are unsuccessful, Stedman said, "I don't know why we would return to a forum that had no progress. We don't think there's much chance (to settle the contract) without mediator involvement."
Sara Williams, the faculty's chief negotiator, said, "I don't believe the format of the conversation was the issue. They provided the last of their fi rst offers on the last day we met in face-to-face bargaining. In my opinion, they had no interest in making progress at that point."
Asked if the administration would impose a contract at the end of impasse, if the contract has not been settled by then, Stedman said, "We'll make the decisions as they arrive."
Stedman sent a "Request to Make Association's Final Offer Materials More Defi - nite and Certain," to the ERB, asking for clarifi cation in regards to Article 21 (b). The letter asked for a response by the faculty by Wednesday, March 2. As of Wednesday night, Stedman said, "We haven't received one."
Williams said the faculty association sent a response Thursday morning. "There was a typo in the language proposal, which we fi xed." She also said the faculty response included a request for the administration to compare their proposal costs to the current budget, rather than 2009-10 costing numbers.
The main disputes over the contract have been economic in nature, focusing on Article 12 (extra teach and summer teach), Article 19 (fringe benefi ts), Article 21 (salary packages) and Article 22 (early retirement incentives and retiree benefits).
Although Stedman said at the February MHCC District board meeting that the proposals from the two sides are $3.75 million apart, he said now they are $3.89 million apart.
"The net (savings) is around $500,000, based on their fi nal proposals," he said. Williams disagreed with Stedman's fi gure, and said the faculty compared its proposal to the cost of a rollover contract. "It's just over a million dollars less than a rollover would be," she said.
Impasse was declared Feb. 14, and both final offers were submitted Feb. 22. The 30- day cooling off period ends March 24. With five days notice, which may be given before the cooling off period is up, the administration may impose their contract proposal as soon as March 25. The faculty may go out on strike with 10 days notice, which may also be given before the cooling off period is up.
That means full-time faculty could go on strike as early as March 25, which is the Friday of spring break. Spring quarter classes are scheduled to begin Monday, March 28.
The administration has been lining up replacement instructors to teach spring quarter courses in case the full-time faculty goes on strike.
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