5/20/2019 Weekly Communications Update

General Membership Meeting

12:05 to 12:55 p.m. – Tuesday, May 21 – Bldg. 4, Room 106

We encourage classified employees to join us for the general membership meeting from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 in Building 4, Room 106. The primary goal is to mobilize as a bargaining unit and receive updates and feedback on current bargaining proposals, insurance and to discuss strategies as a unit. Your voice is needed!

Bargaining – Economic Reopener

Current Bargaining Offer from Lane Community College

As of March 8, 2019

If you want to make a big splash, come sit in on bargaining

Classified members are welcome and encouraged to attend the sessions. We recognize the hardship for some employees who are unable to take personal time to join; consider taking a late lunch and eat with us. As a reminder, sessions start at 1 p.m. in Center, Room 303. Even staying for 15 minutes and joining in solidarity will make an impact.  Please be sure to coordinate with your manager. Sitting in on bargaining can not be done on paid time, so you will need to use a lunch hour, break or personal/vacation time and be sure that attending does not negatively impact your daily work.

Thank you to those who sat in Bargaining last week!  We really appreciate the support!

Details about bargaining meetings will be posted each Monday and referenced in the weekly communications update (just like this).  All posts will be available through the Bargaining Committee page on the website.

Our last Bargaining Update was after the meeting on May 17, 2019.  Please send questions, or support, to the bargaining team.  You can also use the forums to discuss bargaining, but please remember to keep it professional.  

Insurance Committee

OEBB/Kaiser Information Sessions this week

Wednesday, May 22 from 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Building 4, Room 106
Wednesday, May 22 from 4:00pm – 5:00pm in Building 4, Room 106

2019-20 OEBB Rates and Plan Designs

Reminder: there is a Joint Insurance Committee composed of 10 classified members and 7 managers.  

With the intent of providing information and education, the OEBB subcommittee created a summary (not all inclusive) of our current PacificSource plans in comparison to the 2 most popular current Faculty OEBB plans.  (Please note we used the most expensive and least expensive or our current PacificSource plans and did not include the Pacific Source 800 or 1200 deductible Smart Choice plans in this summary.) The summary can be viewed here.

The full PacificSource plan comparisons and rate chart  are available on the HR website as well as information on the Faculty plans.  Please note these are current rates, not the new rates.  

*** Note there is no decision to go to OEBB.  The membership will vote on insurance. This summary is for information and education purposes only. ***

Classified Staff Spotlight

Science Classified Employees Called Out

Paul Ruscher, Science Dean, called out his Classified Employees on a VERY positive note for the support they provide to the Science Division, it’s faculty and students. Paul recently wrote of his team;

“I want to mention to you how proud I am to be on the verge of completing another year as Science Dean. Today has been a tremendously fulfilling day as I’ve seen the fruits of your labor in support of our faculty and deployment of research opportunities for our students, majors and non-majors alike. We could not see this work succeed without your commitment and support, and I thank you all very much for your dedication! I truly believe that I have the fortune of working with the best team on campus.”  “Rosie Kirwin and Todd Stuhr serve in our science laboratories (life and physical sciences, respectively), and we’ve just hired Sara Pittman as our new Life Sciences Laboratory Instructional Specialist. Joe Bowles is our Project Coordinator/Chemical Hygiene Specialist, and Duane Dedrickson provides support as an instructional specialist in Physics. Star Glass serves as coordinator in our Science Resource Center, supported by Gavin Oliver. Our IT specialist is Priscella Johnson, supported by Kevin Lewis, and they also support the Mathematics Division. Four of these staff work for us only part-time in their classified roles, and have other duties here at Lane, and elsewhere. And finally, our front office staff includes Von Young, our Project Coordinator, and Zhasmene Bowles, our Administrative Specialist, both of whom provide incredible support to all of us.”  

WAY TO GO SCIENCE STAFF! And thank you Paul for showing them your appreciation!!

2019 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION CELEBRATION, MAY 29

Please join us in the appreciation of employees who have reached milestone anniversaries and retirements during our annual Employee Recognition Celebration on Wednesday, May 29, in the Center for Meeting and Learning, Bldg. 19, 3-5 p.m. This is a time to show gratitude for these amazing employees’ dedicated service to our students and community.  

Please be certain to mark the date and time into your calendar, and plan to recognize your colleagues!

We will be honoring the following Lane staff:


Have a classified staff member you would like to recognize?  Send it to communications@lccef.org.

Do Your Part for Bargaining

The bargaining team needs your help!

Office Signs

If you have an office with a highly visible window and you would like a “Fair Contract NOW” sign, contact communications@lccef.org and we’ll get you one.  If you aren’t up to a big sign, get a smaller version here.  It will look great on your office door, or in your cubicle.  

Wear red on Fridays  

The bargaining team needs administration to see that the Classified union stands together.  Looking out the window on the 3rd floor of the Center Building during bargaining and seeing red shirts helps more than you know!

Union Benefits – Discounts on almost everything

Have Student Loan Debt?

If you work in the public service, this little-known government program called “Public Service Loan Forgiveness” could allow you to have all of your direct federal student loans forgiven, tax-free.

www.forgivemystudentdebt.org, a resource for those who need to learn the landscape of free and underused federal programs that help many student loan borrowers lower their monthly payments and, in some cases, even have their debt forgiven.

Budget Committee Update

(2nd Announcement) The LCCEF Budget Committee has posted the 2017 Profit and Loss Summary.  To view this, and all other budget related information, please visit their page on the LCCEF website.

Upcoming and Current Work.

Many hands make light work!  We could REALLY use your help! To participate in any of these opportunities, or to find out more, click here.

• Bargaining – Economic Reopener – Currently
• Research into e-Voting for union business
• The Constitution and ByLaws rewrite
• LCCEF Contract Committee (educate members and managers)
• Member Organizer Institute
• Officers in Training
• Worksite Leaders
• Grievance Committee
• Oregon AFL-CIO & LERC Summer School

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