Labor talks with Palomar's nonteaching employees sour

By: NOELLE IBRAHIM - Staff Writer | Friday, December 21, 2007 9:49 AM PST ∞

SAN MARCOS -- Contract negotiations between Palomar College's nonteaching employee labor union and the administration have soured in recent weeks, with union leaders accusing the district of treating its members as second-class citizens and administrators saying that's not true.

The two sides negotiate a new agreement annually. This year's negotiations have been under way since mid-September.

"We're tired of (being treated unfairly)," said Neill Kovrig, president of the Council of Classified Employees, which represents about 400 of the college's nonteaching employees, such as groundskeepers, secretaries and academic department assistants.

Palomar President Bob Deegan said Kovrig is wrong. He said the administration does respect classified staffers and their union.

"The (classified employees) are valued for the work they do," said Deegan. "They're important contributors to the success of our students."

Kovrig said the union will file an unfair-labor-practice complaint with the state before the beginning of spring semester, Jan. 22. He said the complaint would essentially accuse the administration of not negotiating in good faith, in part, by dragging out negotiations until after it reaches a new contract with the teachers union.

"That's not the way it's supposed to work," Kovrig said, adding that the district is treating classified employees this time around as "the bottom of the food chain."

"They can't say, 'You get whatever's left,' " Kovrig said. "There's this perception that because you're not in the classroom, you're not important."

Deegan rejected Kovrig's assertion, saying the college is negotiating in good faith and isn't using delaying tactics.

Kovrig said he's not convinced. He said that in the past, his union has been among the first employee groups to settle on a contract with the district.

While an "uneasy peace" has always marked labor talks, tensions have been rising since John Tortarolo, vice president of human resources, took over as the administration's lead negotiator two years ago, Kovrig said, declining to go into further detail.

Tortarolo is on leave for six to eight weeks for unspecified medical reasons and could not be reached for comment.

The major sticking point in the talks is salary increases, according to Kovrig. The union is seeking a 4.53 percent cost-of-living adjustment provided for by the state, he said.

Neither Kovrig nor Deegan would talk about how far apart the two sides are on increases.

"We're not looking to bankrupt the district (and) we're not looking to take their money," Kovrig said. "We just want (an adjustment) that will keep our employees afloat in a rapidly sinking economy."

All Palomar employees got 8 percent raises during the 2004-05 school year, 4.23 percent hikes in 2005-06 and 5.92 percent bumps in 2006-07. Salaries for classified employees range from $28,574 for a custodian to $113,644 for a database administrator.

The union has also questioned the authority of Mark Vernoy, Palomar's dean of social and behavioral sciences. Vernoy will oversee negotiations with the classified union while Tortarolo is on leave.

Kovrig said it's unclear whether Vernoy as an academic dean has the same authority as a vice president to make decisions on behalf of the district during negotiations.

Vernoy said the union's concern that negotiations can't move forward with Vernoy at the table is invalid.

"Any of us at the table can make a tentative agreement," he said. "We can't make agreements that are hard, fast and binding until the governing board approves them."

Deegan said he also disagrees with recent union assertions that two of the district's negotiators have conflicts of interest.

The union has said, for example, that Director of Human Resources Debbie Allen, who was recently assigned as an associate district negotiator, could use confidential information from talks with classified employees as leverage when the district negotiates with the Administrative Association employee group, of which Allen is a member.

The union also has objected to outside consultant Terry Manges' new role. Manges is working on a classification and compensation study for district employee groups and has been tapped to oversee the daily operation of the college's human resources department part time during Tortarolo's leave. Kovrig said the union's concern is that Manges' study is suspect now that he works for the college.

Deegan defended the assignments.

"To think they're going to demand this is what our team should look like, we do not agree," he said. "We put in people with the appropriate skills and ability to do well at the negotiations table, regardless of where they fall in the spectrum."

-- Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 740-3517 or nibrahim@nctimes.com.

Classified Union at a glance:

Members: 400 nonteaching employees

Negotiations history:

8 percent raises in 2004-05

4.23 percent hikes in 2005-06

5.92 percent bumps in 2006-07

Salaries: Range from $28,573 for a custodian to $113,644 for a database administrator