Contract Talks to Resume

After three months of deadlocked negotiations, community college instructors and administrators have agreed to return to the bargaining table on March 4, district and union officials said Thursday.

“I think that’s very good news,” said Allan Jacobs, board of trustees president of the Ventura County Community College District. “No one wants a long, dragged-out disagreement.”

The two sides announced in the early fall that their negotiations were officially stalled over the teachers’ 1993-94 contracts. In November, they met with a state-appointed mediator who declared them too far apart in their positions to continue with collective bargaining.

The teachers are asking for a 3% salary raise and a cost-of-living adjustment. The district wants to maintain salaries at current levels and ask the teachers to contribute to the cost of their health benefits.