Unfair Practice Charge Settled to Union’s Satisfaction

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Background - The Butte Community College POA represents police officers and sergeants that patrol the college campus near Chico. The unit of 4 peace officers has been engaged in a protracted labor negotiation with the College that was ultimately settled last fall. During negotiations however, the College unilaterally changed a long-standing practice of granting extra time off (CTO) to officers during the summer weeks when regular school was not in session. The practice developed many years ago when classified employees reduced their work hours during the summer session. The officers, not able to reduce their patrol hours, were granted 2 hours of CTO per week for the ten weeks of summer.

The practice, although well documented in employees payroll records, was apparently never formally approved by the College District Board of Trustees.

Nonetheless, UPEC took the position that the District could not unilaterally cut an established benefit and directed Senior Labor Representative Steve Allen to file charges with the State Public Employment Relations Board. Charges were filed alleging that the District violated state bargaining laws and a settlement conference was held in Sacramento that lasted all of 30 minutes when the District would not budge from its position.

Recently, however, District Administrators, to their credit, took a more enlightened approach and offered to grant two additional days of annual vacation to make up for the lost CTO. Union members decided this was a reasonable compromise and agreed to settle the matter prior to the formal hearing scheduled for later this month. POA President Doug Sloan has represented his members diligently throughout the negotiation process and Unfair Practice Charge procedures and should be recognized for sticking to his guns on this issue so that a settlement was ultimately offered.

CASE CLOSED!