College, faculty reach impasse

An impasse exists with the faculty union at Yuba Community College District, says the administration, citing its "last, best and final offer" on pay and benefits — but the union counters that the district walked away from contract negotiations Wednesday in Linda at 1:25 a.m.

"They've been very obstinate," Lisa Jensen-Martin, president of the Yuba College Faculty Association, said of the administration. "It's their offer or no offer."

Martin said that the district "is asking that the full-time faculty give up what they already have — without any financial pressure or constraints to justify such proposals."

While a district official has complained "about negotiating too long and moving too slowly," Jensen-Martin said, the administration is asking for substantial changes to the existing contract and reaching an agreement will take time.

District officials said they'll notify the state Public Employee Relations Board that an impasse in negotiations has been reached and a third party can help reach agreement on a new contract.

The current labor agreement expires June 30.

The district said nearly 70 hours of negotiations over the past five months have taken place and cites its proposal to pay faculty at a level equal to the highest paid professors at nine community college districts in the valley, including Butte, Los Rios, Merced and Sierra.

The district offer also provides medical b benefits up to a cap of $1,225 per month.

Salary schedules for Yuba College faculty are much higher than the average of the valley colleges, according to the district administration. The top salary for Yuba College professors is $100,879.

Jensen-Martin said the six-figure salary is paid faculty who've been at Yuba for more than 20 years and that most don't receive such compensation.

"They just took the highest number to make it look scary," she said of district officials.

The faculty association president said she hopes the district officials don't "break off negotiations and go down a costly path of impasse, taxing its own resources, when the Association is eager to continue to negotiate with them."

The college district has about 130 full-time faculty, according to Jensen- Martin.

Adrian Lopez, spokesman for the district, declined further comment.