March 15 was supposed to have been the date when instructors would possibly receive layoff notices informing them that, depending on the new budget numbers, their services may no longer be needed at Bakersfield College. However, according to the Community College Association’s chief negotiator, instructors will not be receiving any layoff notices this year.
Karen Bishop, chief negotiator and sociology professor at Porterville College, expressed her thoughts on the newly reached decision.
“We had three meetings regarding what we call reductions in force,” she said. “We came in with different scenarios on how these positions could be saved, and management was feeling the pressure from a host of different sources to save these jobs.”
The negotiating team consisted of Andrea Garrison, president of CCA; Paula Suarez, instructor at Cerro Coso College; Leif Syrdahl, anthropology professor and adjunct negotiator at Porterville College; and Bishop.
The management team for the district included Abe Ali, vice chancellor of human resources for the Kern Community College District; Doris Givens, vice chancellor of education services; and Bruce Barsook, KCCD’s outside attorney.
Barsook commented that although he wouldn’t characterize the two sides as offering concessions, the negotiations did go smoothly.
“There are going to be services that will be reduced,” he said. “But nothing that will result in the laying off of instructors. Both sides listened to each other.”
Bishop commented on her feelings after the negotiations were finally over.
“It was a really good day,” she said. “I can’t say anything that would express how happy we were that day.”
In the Rip’s last issue, it was reported that 10 new tenure-track positions were approved for hire for fall 2010. When asked whether the new positions were sacrificed as a concession for the saving of BC instructors, Bishop responded quickly.
“No, those positions will still be hired,” she said. “No concessions of that nature were made at the bargaining table.”
The new positions that have been approved are instructors for academic development, child development, communication, English, history, mathematics at the Delano campus, mathematics at BC, nursing, philosophy and welding.
Kathleen Rush, mathematics professor at BC, said she was happy with the news.
“I think it’s great news that we don’t have to lay anyone off and that we can hire new people,” she said.