Previously, at the Feb. 11 board meeting, Peralta Community College District classified professionals vehemently opposed the layoffs proposed to keep the district afloat.
The meeting agenda for Feb. 25 revealed the specific positions that would be affected by this vote. During the board meeting at Berkeley City College, the Board of Trustees and student leaders discussed the resolution to lay off 86 positions. A majority of the positions cut were Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 members, compared to other employee units. After hearing public comments in opposition of the cuts, the board voted in favor.
‘I’m not too far off from retirement’
A total of 18 people spoke on the reduction in force during the public comment section. Many mentioned how remaining employees will be spread thin with layoffs, impacting their ability to prioritize students.
Karen Shields, a Senior Duplicating and Support Services Technician at BCC, has worked at Peralta for almost 20 years explaining, “I have dedicated my life to providing service throughout this campus.”
“I do have a family that depends on me,” she said. “I need to now go back out into this workforce potentially to reestablish myself at my age. I’m not too far from retirement,” Shields said.
Alejandro Acosta, Chief Steward of the Peralta chapter of SEIU, pointed out that instructional assistants who work in labs and are “in the trenches,” make roughly $59,000 a year.
“We’re cutting the people who work most directly with students,” Acosta commented.
Classifieds are the non-faculty or administrative staff that work at all levels across the Peralta District. Positions under the classified personnel label can range from lab assistants, custodians, and enrollment services specialists.
Diana Fitzgerald, Staff Assistant at the District Office, was unable to attend the meeting, citing personal instability due to her firing. A prepared speech was read by Dolores Harshaw, Assessment Specialist at BCC’s Student Accessibility Services, on her behalf.
“I thought such hard work, dedication and loyalty would be rewarded. I have come to find out it’s not. […] To know that Peralta doesn’t want me or value my work after nearly 18 years is very demoralizing,” she said.
Peralta’s Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson explained the Districts position on the cuts as a “short-term strategy” to take reductions in order to meet next year’s budget.
Per the resolution, “the Chancellor is directed to give Notice of Layoff to the affected classified employees no later than March 15, 2025.”
‘A piece of that longer term strategy’
During the discussion on the voluntary resignation incentive, Gilkerson defined it as an opportunity for employees who “meet the criteria” to have the option to opt in and can do so voluntarily.
The criteria for voluntary resignation includes being a permanent full-time unit member with a minimum of 20 consecutive years of service at Peralta.
The incentive is a one time payment of $35,000. The district will rehire all positions that opt into the resignation incentive within 18 months.The offer will only apply to 75 employees district-wide.
The intent to participate must be submitted to the district’s HR department between March 3 and May 1.
“The resignation incentive is a piece of that longer term strategy and […] would hopefully gain a certain amount of dollars that we would be able to use to stave off the cuts that are slated for the next year,” Gilkerson said.
Board trustees approve reductions; student trustees do not agree
Before the vote, the trustees expressed their sympathies for the staff who were being laid off, yet affirmed the necessity of the decision to cut personnel due to the district’s current budget crisis.
Trustee Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, Sheweet Yohannes and Nicky González Yuen raised similar sentiments that they must prioritize the district in order to keep it afloat.
Student Trustees Sophia Parmigiani and Pierce Byrne felt differently, stating that they personally know the impact that staff, like Karen Shields, have on the students.
Every board member voted in favor of this resolution for a reduction in force. Only Parmigiani and Byrne voted against the resolution, yet their votes were only advisory.
Boos rang out from the crowd as the Board unanimously voted to approve the layoffs. A majority of the audience in attendance left right after the ruling.
BCC updates
After the Trustees made their final votes, BCC leadership held a showcase for some of the college’s academic program successes over the past year.
Some notable mentions include the multimedia arts program winning second place in an international competition hosted by Taiwanese VR tracking company, Vive MARS, for best horror shot. BCC’s Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program, presented on its first full cohort of STEM students.
BCC President Denise Richardson unveiled the college’s newest mascot, The Berkeley City College Owl. The project was brought to life by BCC student Yunha Kim and graphic design specialist Marcus Creel.
Richardson also presented the college’s new shared governance model, which aims to create a more inclusive and clear governance process for BCC constituency groups and student body.
You can watch the following Mar. 11 Board of Trustees Meeting on the Peralta colleges Youtube page.
