WESTSIDE TEACHERS, DISTRICT AT IMPASSE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - For a second time this year, an impasse has been declared in contract talks between the Westside Union School District and its teachers union.

The Westside Union Teachers Association is requesting a 4 percent raise and fully paid medical insurance, but the district is offering no raises and no increase in what it pays as the employer for benefits, meaning that teachers would have to contribute out of their own pockets to keep their current medical plan.

``We have declared an impasse because the district has a habit of prolonging bargaining and getting nowhere,'' said Kim Collins, union president. ``And last year, they just kept putting us off all year long, only to come up with money at the end of the year and only pay for health and welfare and benefits and no raise.''

District officials said they can't afford to give a raise and pay more for benefits.

``It's not a matter of not wanting to. It's that the district is not in a financial position to afford that with the current budget,'' Superintendent Regina Rossall said. ``We can't do that and remain fiscally solvent.''

The contract under negotiation is for the current school year, and a mediator has been called in to meet with both sides, although no date has been set. The district employs about 380 teachers.

The impasse for the 2003-04 school year was settled in May when teachers gave up on a 3 percent raise that would have cost the financially strapped district $1.8 million over three years, but got their medical care fully paid for through June.

To cover increased health-insurance costs for teachers, the district has been making payroll deductions of $134 a month since July, with the amount to go up to $234 a month at the end of October, Collins said.

About 40 teachers holding signs showed up at last week's board meeting to show support for their negotiating team.

Westside isn't the only local district with unhappy teachers.

At the Palmdale School District's board meeting last week, more than 200 teachers showed up wearing black union T-shirts to show their dissatisfaction with the pace of Palmdale talks.

Palmdale teachers union officials said they oppose having a maximum amount set by the district on employer contributions toward teachers' health insurance.

Having gone the past four years without any pay hike, they are also asking for a 4 percent raise.

``We want to keep our benefits intact. As far as teachers are concerned, with all the budget restraints, we have not had a raise in the last four years, but the benefits are what teachers are attracted to in the district,'' said Simone Zulu, president of the Palmdale Elementary Teachers Association.

Palmdale officials say limits were set on the amount paid for medical coverage for other workers in the district last year. The district is offering six options for union negotiators to consider.

One would include a proposed cap of $15,550 starting in the current school year, $3,000 more than offered by any other district in the valley, and the total cost of medical benefits probably would not exceed that cap for 1 1/2 years.

``Medical insurance premiums are out of control. They are skyrocketing,'' Palmdale Assistant Superintendent Roger Gallizzi said. ``Until we can control our costs, medical benefit costs are increasing faster than revenues of the school district.''

Another option is to cap benefits at a lower amount and pass the savings on to teachers, Gallizzi said.

The Palmdale district has more than 1,000 teachers.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com