During Monday’s board of trustees meeting public comment portion, Ken Key, president of El Camino’s federation of teachers; Luukia Smith, president of the classified employees union; and Gary Turner, a vice president of the union, approached the podium to voice their concerns.

Key asked the board about the status on a retroactive salary increase that was “gutted” last year. He and members of his union weren’t receiving any written updates or communication in regards to this matter.

Trustee Bill Beverly concluded that the board should “commit to reporting every couple of weeks with a memo or an email to Mr. Key.” This response prompted applause from members of the classified employees union and several other people in the audience.

“Beverly, that’s exactly what I want. I just want a line of communication. Thank you,” Key said in reply.

Turner brought up concerns regarding Article 15 of the agreement contract made between the classified employees union and the board of trustees. The language in that section is that exact same language used in the last two contracts, Turner said.

While Turner spoke, more than a dozen members of the union who were in attendance held up signs that read, “Article 15: It’s Not About the Money.”

The specific sentence Turner is referring to says, “Effective January 1, 2013, the District shall increase these rates by the percentage increase in the District’s funded Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) on the General Apportionment that is funded by the State of California (“Funded COLA”) in that Fiscal Year.”

The classified employee union has not yet seen any adjustment in its cost of living.

After speaking with the administration and an attorney, the union was told that the clause was meant to expire at the end of 2013.

“Our question is: Why is expired language in the current contract?” Turner said. “Or, if it’s there legitimately, we ask that you honor the contract.”

Turner and Smith, and the signs held up by members of the union, stressed that their goal wasn’t completely focused money but focused more on the contract being honored.

The Union reached out to Turner after the meeting, and he further discussed the issue.

“Either (that sentence is) supposed to be in there and that’s an oversight on (their) part or it’s not supposed to be in there,” he said. Turner also said that the administration is forcing the union to go into arbitration that will cost at least $10,000 “to fight something that we think is so straightforward and so indefensible.”

“Why (is the administration) costing the taxpayers this money?” Turner asked. “Why are (they) spending public funds on something that’s not defensible?”

In President Tom Fallo’s oral report, he briefly discussed the status of EC’s winter session. Fallo said that he pushed for the winter session to return this coming winter and next year.

“I know that their is an opportunity to offer a winter session for 2016, but I still think it could’ve been done,” Fallo said. “Instead of pressing the issue, we are going to probably get the issue resolved by 2017.”

The next board of trustees meeting is July 20 at 4 p.m.