Collective Bargaining

Welcome to the collective bargaining page of Human Resources!

The purpose of this page is to:

  • Provide the current status of collective bargaining between the District and the exclusively represented groups;
  • Share information about the overall collective bargaining process; and
  • To post respective labor relations documents.

At the November 15, 2023 Board of Trustees meeting, the District and the Cerritos College Faculty Federation (CCFF) each submitted “sunshine” proposals to initiate negotiations for the contractual period of July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027 per Administrative Procedure (AP) 2610. 

The District's proposal included intentions to sunshine the following articles:

  • Global changes to the contract to correct and update formatting
  • Article 4 – Assignment
  • Article 5 – Academic Freedom
  • Article 7 – Academic Calendar
  • Article 10 – Health and Welfare Benefits
  • Article 11 – Department Chairs
  • Article 12 – Program Directors
  • Article 13 – Temporary Part-Time Faculty Reemployment/Assignment
  • Article 16 – Evaluations
  • Article 18 – Sick Leave
  • Article 20 – Family Illness Leave
  • Article 21 – Pregnancy Disability Leave
  • Article 25 – Bereavement Leave
  • Article 30 – Grievance Procedures
  • New Article – Due Process

CCFF's proposal included intentions to sunshine the following articles:

  • Article 4 – Assignment
  • Article 5 – Academic Freedom
  • Article 7 – Calendar
  • Article 8 – Salary
  • Article 10 – Benefits
  • Article 11 – Chairs
  • Article 13 – Part-Time Reemployment/Assignment
  • Article 15 – Large Class Pay
  • Article 29 – Reduced Workload Prior to Retirement
  • Article 33 – Parking Permits
  • Article 39 – Travel and Conference

The District and CCFF negotiation teams met on December 1, 2023 to initiate negotiations. The following items were discussed:

  • Introductions of bargaining team and notetakers and meeting housekeeping
  • The district and CCFF agreed that ground rules for negotiations would be set.
  • The district informed CCFF that we would bring forth formal proposed ground rules at a future meeting.
  • The district and CCFF agreed to negotiate in good faith and in a timely manner and discussed tentative negotiation dates and times through the Spring 2024 semester.
  • The district and CCFF informed each other they would both plan to submit initial proposals at the next meeting.

The District and CCFF negotiation teams met on December 15, 2023. The following items were discussed:

  • CCFF submitted initial proposals for the following articles:
    • Article 33: Parking Permits
    • Submitted counter proposal for Article 20: Family Illness Leave
    • CCFF stated they had a draft article ready to propose for the new Due Process article. The district requested for CCFF to not submit the draft article since it was on the district's sunshine proposal, but not CCFF's. 
    • CCFF stated their intent to submit a counter-proposal to Articles 25 and 30 at a later date.
    • CCFF submitted a counter-proposal to the District's proposed formal ground rules.
  • The District submitted initial proposals for the following articles:
    • Article 20: Family Illness Leave
    • Article 25: Bereavement
    • Article 30: Grievances
    • The district stated intent to submit the newly proposed article for Due Process at a later date. 
    • Proposed a formal set of ground rules for negotiations
    • The district stated intent to submit a counter-proposal for Article 33.
    • The district stated intent to review CCFF's counter-proposal for ground rules, which was reviewed and sent back by CCFF after break-out on the same day.

Clarification was discussed regarding either parties' right to initial proposals, to which both parties reached agreement on. 

The district and CCFF negotiation teams met on January 19, 2024 for negotiations.

The following items were submitted from CCFF for negotiation:

  • The district informed CCFF that they had reviewed the counter-proposal to the ground rules sent by CCFF on December 15, 2023. The district informed CCFF that they agreed to the changes submitted by CCFF and that a signed copy would be returned. 

  • CCFF returned the district’s proposed article on Article 25: Bereavement Leave. CCFF proposed the following changes:
    • Making bereavement 5 days regardless of the relationship.
    • Expanding the definition of who bereavement can be taken for to include a family member, close friend, person related by blood or marriage, or whose domestic relations were close, or who was close friend, or person(s) who lived in the same domicile as the faculty member at the time of death.

  • CCFF returned the district’s proposed article on Article 30: Grievances. CCFF proposed the following changes:
    • General language cleanup
    • Implementing a limit on extending the timeline of the informal grievance conference to no more than ten (10) before the unresolved grievance is escalated to the formal level.
    • Implementing a timeline of ten (10) days after the completion of an informal conference or extension of an informal conference timeline for the formal grievance to be submitted in writing.
    • Proposed modifying §30.5.5.4 to make the decision of an arbitrator in a Level V grievance final and binding in all cases, rather than being advisory to the Board of Trustees.  

The following item was submitted by the district for negotiation:

  • The district proposed a new article, tentatively titled Article 42: Due Process. Below is a summary of the proposed article:
    • The purpose of the article is to ensure that due process rights of full-time faculty are observed during pre-disciplinary processes, including paid administrative leave and investigations, as well as the issuance of any corrective notice that does not involve any suspension/dismissal processes required by EdCode.
    • Outlined processes to be followed for issuance of corrective notices, investigations, and involuntary paid administrative leave
    • Ensures that full-time faculty have the right to representation for processes listed above

The district and CCFF negotiations teams met on February 2, 2024.

The district and CCFF reached a tentative agreement on Article 29: Reduced Workload Prior to Retirement. Article 29 was updated to state that Administrative Procedure 7210 will be followed for the application process and eligibility.

The following items were submitted from CCFF for negotiation:

  • CCFF presented Article 15: Large Class Pay with the following proposed changes:
    • Proposed that a large class is considered 45 or more students as authorized by the course outline and record, rather than being 55 or more students enrolled at census.
    • Proposed changes to section 15.3 to make faculty assigned large class sections eligible for compensation either through additional load or through additional pay for the section
    • Proposed load factor of 1.5 for class sizes of 45-59 students and load factor of 2.0 for class sizes of 60 or more students
    • Proposed that large class pay is received at the overload rate based on the load factor

  • CCFF countered the district’s proposed Article 42: Due Process, with the following proposed changes:
    • Proposed changing the new article name from “Due Process” to “Investigations and Discipline.”
    • Proposed language changes to include all faculty in the article, instead of only full-time faculty
    • Proposed changes throughout the article for specific progressive disciplinary processes to be followed.

The following items were submitted from the district for negotiation:

  • The district returned Article 25: Bereavement with the following changes:
    • The district struck CCFF’s proposed language of expanding who bereavement leave can be taken for, noting concern that expansion beyond the current definition of “immediate family” and the indefinite nature of “domestic relations were close” and “close friend” are not readily susceptible to verification.
  • The district returned Article 30: Grievances with the following changes:
    • The district accepted CCFF’s proposed general language cleanup.
    • The district accepted CCFF’s proposals to implement timelines on transitioning from an informal to a formal grievance process.
    • The district rejected CCFF’s proposal to make arbitration binding in all cases

The district and CCFF negotiation teams met on February 23, 2024 at 1:30pm.

The district provided the following information to CCFF:

  • The district informed CCFF that the district had no new articles to propose or articles to return for the current meeting. However, the Due Process article is being worked on, and the modified article will likely be emailed before the next meeting.
  • The district informed CCFF that with the Large Class Pay article they proposed, the district will need to see how it fits into the economic package as a whole.
  • The district informed CCFF that the matter of part-time health insurance is still being addressed, and something will be coming soon. The district continues to receive evolving direction, prompting continued work on the draft article. 
  • The district asked for CCFF’s feedback on how to proceed with Article 29: Reduced Workload Prior to Retirement, which was tentatively agreed upon in the February 2, 2024 meeting. The district and CCFF agreed to proceed with the process of modifying the Administrative Procedure.

CCFF provided the following items and information:

  • CCFF sent back Article 30: Grievances, with the following:
  • Agreed to district’s proposed changes from prior negotiations, with exception of whether arbitration is binding (the district had wanted status quo, and CCFF had wanted arbitration decisions to be binding in all areas).
  • Proposed that Articles 4, 8, and 10 are added as items that are binding in arbitration.
  • CCFF sent back Article 25: Bereavement, with the following:
    • Accepted the district’s strike on language of 25.1, but proposed adding fiancée and any person living in the unit member’s immediate household as immediate family members who bereavement leave of five (5) paid work days can be taken for.
    • Accepted the district’s strike on the language in 25.2, but proposed that paid leave days are increased from three (3) paid workdays to five (5) paid work not only for travel that is out-of-state, but also for travel that is two hundred (200) or more miles.
    • Proposed in Article 25.3 that a unit member shall be granted up to five (5) unpaid bereavement leave due to loss by death of any individual not identified in sections 25.1 and 25.2.
    • Proposed in Article 25.4 that a unit member may use accrued sick leave to remain in paid status during any unpaid bereavement leave. 

  • CCFF proposed the following changes to Article 7: Academic Calendar:
    • Proposed in Article 7.4 that Academic Calendars will consist of 175 calendar days per section 4.1.1.(a), including 173 instruction and two (2) days of faculty FLEX obligation.
    • Proposed in Article 7.5 that the FLEX equivalent of one day will be eight (8) hours, and that Academic Calendar years with 173 days of instruction have a total of sixteen (16) hours of FLEX for training.
    • Proposed in Article 7.6 that when there is an Academic Calendar with fewer than 173 instruction days, FLEX training will be completed to meet the equivalency of 175 days. For example, if a calendar as 172 days instead of 173, FLEX will expand from sixteen (16) hours to twenty-four (24) hours.

 


Status of Negotiations with California School Employees Association (CSEA)

Contractual Period of July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
Status: Initial Bargaining Phase Not Yet Started

 


AT A GLANCE - A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING OVERVIEW

The Stages of Negotiations

 

Key Points to Cerritos Community College District’s Approach to Collective Bargaining

District Commitment

The Cerritos Community College District has obligations to students, the public, employees, and retirees. The District must maintain focus on student success by providing the best possible programs and instruction through the best available faculty and staff.

Other Important Points

In the past, the District could pay for unlimited medical benefits for employees while at the same time providing yearly pay raises. However, times have changed and public pension costs and medical care costs for active and retired employees have increased. The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and any new state funding increases the District receives do not cover the District’s annual increases in payroll and benefits costs. Current payroll and benefits costs are $122.5 million (91.46% of total FY21 adopted budget).

As a result, at times the District and its employees must choose between pay raises (in addition to annual step and column increases) or higher medical benefit premium maximums paid by the District.

In the recent past, the District’s classified staff and faculty have agreed to capped limits of the amount the District pays for medical benefit premiums. 

A goal of the District is to have equity between all employee groups:

All employees should have access to healthcare options on the same terms and conditions.