Dear Editor:

Cerritos College Faculty Federation (CCFF) is happy to see the movement the Cerritos College District provided since faculty have shared our frustrations and disappointment with the community.

Although the proposal provided by the Cerritos College District seemed fair on paper, the Cerritos College District failed to disclose that the California legislature has already provided an ongoing 5.07% increase to Cerritos College. This 5.07% is a cost of living adjustment that was meant to be passed down to all employees, to offset the crippling inflation we are experiencing.

What the Cerritos College District did not say is that instead of giving their employees true salary increases, this proposal provides the bulk of the funding as a “one time” stipend. Providing a “one time increase” means that employees will lose out on more than $100,000 in retirement because those stipends don’t count toward employee’s retirement funds.

What the Cerritos College District omits in their response is that the state of California has determined that the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2022-23 is 6.56%. The Cerritos College District is offering only a 4% salary increase next year. This means they are pocketing another 2.5% of the state funding that is meant to be allocated for employees.

It is worth mentioning that, yes, CCFF agrees that the Cerritos College District has provided a formal offer to the Cerritos College Faculty Federation on June 2, 2022. Unfortunately, this proposal is not reasonable, not fair, and not equitable. This proposal does not take into account the employees who dedicate their lives to this college.

As a labor union, CCFF is advocating for our members’ immediate livelihood and ensuring that our members can afford groceries, rent and utilities when they retire.

Dr. Lynn Wang
CCFF President

Dear Editor:

I have taught at Cerritos College for 18 years. By responding to April Bracamontes’s letter about the labor dispute there with a detailed proposal (which is not even official any longer!), the District willfully violated labor law, which prohibits either party from breaking the confidentiality of what was discussed unofficially in mediation.

Clearly this District—which has record reserves—will stop at nothing to distort the record and to disrespect faculty for the amazing work we have accomplished during the pandemic. They are worse than bad-faith negotiators; they have become malign negotiators.

Taxpayers should be appalled.

Ted Stolze
Professor, Cerritos College

Dear Editor:

Cerritos College Board of Trustees just this June unanimously voted to extend President Jose Fierro’s tenure for four more years at about $250,000 annually, a quarter of a million dollars.

In the Norwalk Patriot article, Board of Trustee leader James Cody Birkey enthusiastically exclaimed how President Fierro supports our students and faculty. It is obvious to anyone in passing that students and faculty are the main interface for any educational institution, such as Cerritos College. With this in mind, Fierro and the Board of Trustees have withheld the COLA (cost of living allowance) sent from the State of California for faculty members in 2021 and 2022, and refuse to discuss these monies with faculty.

Further, Fierro and the board have a judgement against them made by PERB, Public Employment Relations Board, regarding their negotiating in bad faith with the Cerritos College Faculty Union, during past negotiations. Also, the board and Fierro have illegally broken confidentiality during negotiations, stalled negotiations to a snail’s pace for over two years, leaving faculty without a contract for this period and the foreseeable future.

When COLA for 2023 is due, it is expected that Fierro and the board will keep that money for themselves as well.

Lastly, Fierro, while celebrating his new 4-year contract, made this statement: “I am also thankful for our classified, confidential, and management teams and the Cerritos College community at large who share the same vision for helping our students to realize their goals and dreams.”

You notice there is zero reference to faculty. Fierro and the board paint a picture of college success by their hands alone, with some honorable mentions to a few, and absolute silence concerning faculty. I guess in their minds faculty are not needed at a college, or don’t exist. It’s hard to say what their angle is.

Due to these circumstances, a faculty strike is looming, since the board and Fierro are too busy congratulating themselves and ignoring faculty for going on three years.

Lastly, Covid-19 caused innumerable deaths and illnesses globally; my own Anthropology Department lost an adjunct instructor, Benjamin Fierro (no relation), to Covid-19. Covid-19 put extreme pressures on all educators to re-make courses for online only, a massive task, while current rising inflation is taking a different toll on us all. Meanwhile, the Cerritos College board and President Fierro gave themselves raises and bonuses in the past 2-3 years, but refuse to do anything like this for faculty.

Fierro and the board made our last negotiations for a contract in 2015-16 a torturous event, and have delivered another level of torture during these negotiations for 2+ years. That is their way, full of poor leadership and mistrust regarding faculty.

In closing, California is flush with money due to a record setting surplus, and Cerritos College has the largest money reserves for any community college in California, therefore the money is there to cover our modest pay increases, and COLA 2021 and 2022 came from the state.

We faculty need a new enduring climate of fairness and decency from the Board of Trustees and President Fierro, not insults, extortion, slights, tricks and stalling tactics.

Cerritos College faculty, staff and students all stand united against the Board of Trustees and President Fierro’s treatment of faculty. The public needs to know these facts.

Mark Abbruzzese
Professor, Cerritos College