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“Based on the foregoing findings of fact and conclusions of law, and the entire record in this case, it is found that the Pasadena Area Community College District violated the Education Employment Relations Act…by unilaterally implementing a trimester calendar.”

This was the finding last week by administrative law judge Alicia Clement from the State of California Public Employment Relations Board.

In other words the judge found that cancelling winter intersession was illegal.

Almost everyone on campus warned the administration and the District not to cancel winter intersession. But all reasonable voices were ignored.

The Academic Senate, Associated Students, Calendar Committee, Faculty Association and countless students and faculty were among the voices in Board meeting after Board meeting throughout the year asking to keep winter intersession.

In Sept. 2012, Faculty Association representative Julie Kiotas talked with the Courier about the Board’s decision to cancel winter intersession and said that the administration was doing an end-run around the legally binding employment contract.

“It is a violation of shared governance, it is an unfair labor practice, and it is a significant loss of institutional credibility,” Kiotas said.

Like all other reasonable voices, Kiotas’ voice was also ignored.

The same voices expressed their concerns with the infamous Extended Spring fiasco, but to no avail.

The California Community College Chancellor’s Office at the time had to force the administration to stop with the Extended Spring nonsense and made them change Extended Spring to Summer One, affecting hundreds of students and their transfers to other colleges and universities.

It’s sad that this comedy of errors at this campus continues with no end in sight.

PERB also orders the District to cease and desist from unilaterally changing the school calendar from semesters to trimesters without notice and an opportunity to collectively bargain.

The District said in a statement released Dec. 3 that they are planning to appeal the judge’s decision.

We ask the District to do the right thing for once and to do what is in the best interest of the students, faculty and staff. We ask the district to cease and desist from the appeal, admit they were wrong, accept the PERB decision and move on for the betterment of the college.

Enough is enough and let’s get back to the most important issue at hand: educating students.

 

To access the State of California Public Employment Relations Board decision http://www.perb.ca.gov/News.aspx#EMERGIHSSEERA

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