Five percent posters around the school were a constant reminder of how much faculty and staff wanted an agreement on their salary settlement. Their chants and marches helped move forward into what they believe was long overdue.

El Camino College Classified Employees (ECCE) and the Federation of Teachers (ECCFT) got their salary raise.

Ken Brown, vice president of the board of trustees, said, “Staff and teachers are satisfied about the agreement that was settled at the board of trustee meetings.”

Because of the different salaries for the faculty and classified unions, Brown was not able to say the exact percentage that was negotiated.

Those on Step A to Step E on the salary schedule get a raise each time they move a level, but not until recently did they add Step F, which is what the staff salary was fighting for.

Luukia Smith, president of ECCE, said, “We showed loyalty and (we) care about this institution but we fought for eight or nine months (and) it doesn’t affect all classified employees.”

This means the certain ranges the staff and faculty are in will make more money than other paid positions. The staff or faculty who works for years will move upward, but once they reach Step F, they will see the additional step that everyone was fighting for.

Smith said since 2008, there has been no raise, “so people are happy there is something.”

A reason faculty and staff were protesting was because COLA (cost of living adjustment) was going up each year, but raises were not given.

In a Union article from March of this year, Linda Beam, vice president of human resources, said it seemed the COLA for the 2014-15 year would be 0.8 percent. In the final budget for the 2014-15 school year, available to the public since Aug. 25, “The State General Apportionment also includes a 0.85% COLA increase for base apportionment revenue.”

She said ECCE is satisfied there was a salary increase this year. The settlement came to an agreement after weeks of protesting and signs that are still on windows around campus, but not until 2017 will they see a new contract after the three-year agreement is over.

Regarding the faculty and classifed unions wanting to voice their opinion on their salaries, Brown said, “Not everyone is going to get everything they wanted.”