The NOCCCD threatens to remove longevity from IT employees, and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) has tried again and again since June 2023 to make their voices heard by the board. As of April 23, the negotiations have come to an impasse after almost two years of appealing to NOCCCD.

Longevity is what gives classified staff a pay raise every five years of employment. NOCCCD is targeting the longevity of incoming IT classified employees. CSEA members are standing in solidarity with the targeted employees, they believe that if they get away with removing it for new hires, NOCCCD can target older employees next.

“I’m hoping that the district and board trustees see our solidarity,” said Loayza. “We’re asking for more respect and don’t take things from us that have belonged to us for many, many years.”

The NOCCCD board meeting opened with congratulations to faculty who have made tenure. As faculty members stood up to accept their flowers and give a small speech, CSEA members led by Elaine Loayza, the CSEA chapter president, slowly flooded the room and spilled into the hallway wearing blue union shirts, carrying signs that read “LONGEVITY=RESPECT,” and similar sentiments.

“We want to urge board members to urge the district to do the right thing and not take away longevity from new hires, because next it’ll be the rest of us, and we know that,” said Seija Rohkea, the communications officer for CSEA.

According to Rohkea, an email was allegedly sent out to the IT department that asked for a meeting with the employees to make deals with employees who don’t know what’s going on. The email excluded any union members and the negotiation team.

“It’s illegal and goes against all kinds of union violations,” said Rohkea. “Regular workers don’t know, so they can say yes to a deal not knowing the implications of it further down the line.”

According to Pamela Spenc, one of the members of the negotiations team, CSEA has given many offers to NOCCCD in negotiations to keep longevity, all of which have been denied. The last offer sent by CSEA was a $250 flat raise every five years for IT employees.

“We have given proposal after proposal, and they have given us nothing back,” said Spenc. “They just keep saying, ‘No, we’re getting rid of longevity completely.”

NOCCCD is one of the top five wealthiest districts in Southern California, according to the Government Compensation of California website. CSEA members are upset that this is the reality of it, but the district plans to cut longevity from workers who show their loyalty to the district and spend years working there.

“I am angry,” said Antoinette Triefenbach, a member of CSEA. “The district continues not to listen to us and continues to make classified staff second-class citizens.”

Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland told The Hornet in a statement that the NOCCCD is not able to comment on the negotiation process.

“We do acknowledge that tensions are running high right now,” Breland added. “The Board of Trustees, the administrative team, and I value the unique contributions, skills and experience of our classified professionals and are working diligently toward a beneficial resolution to these complex issues.”