An independent arbitrator has decided that longevity pay is not a given for classified employees of the Douglas County School District. On Dec. 20, San Francisco arbitrator William E. Riker ruled in favor of the district office that long-standing step and longevity salary increases are subject to negotiation and therefore do not automatically extend beyond the term of an employment contract."First and foremost is recognition by the parties that at the expiration of the term of a collective bargaining agreement, unless specifically exempted, all of the articles of a contract are on the table," Riker wrote in his decision. "Frankly, …