Decision 0179E – Sierra Joint Community College District

Community college faculty proposal for a one-fifth reduction in the normal 15-hour teaching load for instructors on negotiating team is within scope as being related to hours. Restricting negotiating over released time to only those hours. ". . .when meeting and negotiating" at the table reads section 3543.1 too narrowly. Negotiations includes more than time spent actually at the negotiating table. Evidence of the amount of released time granted in neighboring school districts is relevant to show whether union proposal was "reasonable."

Employer's outright refusal to bargain over community college union's proposal that negotiators receive a one-fifth reduction in workload was failure to negotiate in good faith. There is no need to view this action as part of the totality of conduct to find a violation.