Twenty-one classified employees from De Anza College were hit with layoff notices last week.The decision, made by the college’s administration, still needs to be ratified by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District board of trustees.
Last Tuesday De Anza staff met in front of De Anza’s administration building to call attention to the district’s plan to layoff classified employees.
Members of the Service Employees International Union showed up in the main quad sporting purple shirts with SEIU logos and “Local 715” .
Patty Jobs has been working for the district for 15 years. She was supervisor of the information center at De Anza until the position was cut 2 years ago.
Now she’s working in payroll. Her former position may be reinstated, but she says there’s no guarantee she’s allowed to work there again — even though her contract says otherwise. “According to contract, no one else is supposed to be doing that job,” said Jobs.
“By law they can’t do that,” said Walter Alvarado, a classified De Anza employee who works as laboratory technician for the journalism computer lab. “But it just so happens that the district does what they want regardless.”
Employees also said that the district uses tactics to wear out employees so that they will leave quietly. Several expressed concern over the cutbacks in service positions.
“It’s sad because it hurts everyone,” said Jobs. “Students more than anything. I think students should be aware of the new organization.”
According to employment and training advisor Blanche Monary, the classified staff needs a different breed of management, one that doesn’t ignore the needs of workers outside of faculty and administration and is willing to treat everyone with equality. “The way they talk about us, it’s as though we’re not human. Better management would stick with it and change it for the best — not just top down.”
Monary, who is a steward for the union, said there were better places to begin cuts than with classified employees. She said that an across the board, two percent cut should be considered — something that would affect everyone rather than one party.
The board will make their decision on May 2.