Some things never seem to change.

Almost four years ago, the Niagara County Community College Faculty Association’s contract with the college expired and the two parties have yet to reach a new labor agreement for the union’s 170 members. The union represents the school’s teachers, counselors and other professional employees.

Consequently, the college Board of Trustees, after a brief public meeting Wednesday, adjourned into an hour-long executive session to chew over the matter yet again.

College President James P. Klyczek said it appears the administration is still making no headway toward reaching an agreement because of a number of sticking points in contract talks which the board wants resolved.

“It would have been nice if the union had reached an agreement back in 2006, because the bad economy is making the chances of that happening much more difficult when it comes to increased spending,” Klyczek said.

Union President Joseph F. Colosi said that wasn’t the problem a couple of years ago but added that the president wanted to take away things the union had negotiated that he believes are management prerogatives. He said such things — like mandatory promotions and determining the starting date of school — are not management prerogatives once they’ve been bargained away.

“That’s not how it works,” Colosi said. “All those things have to be negotiated if there’s to be any change.”

Klyczek said making 10 automatic promotions ever year costs the college an extra $60,000 to $80,000. He said promotions should be made based upon merit and not treated like a pay increment. He said that’s why the administration wants that out of the contract.

Of the many issues still unresolved, Klyczek said health care is the biggest when it comes to cost.

Klyczek changed the faculty’s health care plan last March from traditional Blue Cross-Blue Shield coverage to “an experienced-based BlueCross BlueShield insurance plan” which is “saving us anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000 a year.”

The union is upset with that and has legally challenged what it calls a “unilateral action” on Klyczek’s part that violates state labor law by circumventing the negotiation process. Klyczek said the administration’s reading of the old contract shows it was all right to make that change.

Colosi said that’s not true because Klyczek’s action deprived faculty members of the negotiated right to choose other alternative health insurance carriers.

“We are having the issue brought before the state Public Employment Relations Board on March 10 to render a decision on it,” Colosi said, saying he was certain the union was in the right.

Klyczek said the main problem now is that the college is losing revenue and has little money to work with to deal with raises and other things that cost more money.

“We haven’t received an increase (in money) from the Niagara County Legislature in three years and Gov. David A. Paterson has cut our state aid by 10 percent this year and is going to cut us back 17 percent next year. So how do we spend more money for pay raises and health insurance?” he said.