Final Message from Robin
To my Colleagues and Friends
Just a few parting words as I step down from the Presidency and return to supporting our Union in a lesser role on committees and councils.
First, I want to thank the outgoing LCCEF team and Kenny (who will continue as VP Labor Relations). What a RIDE!!! I am incredibly proud of my teammates and the work we accomplished together. It was no picnic but through it all we kept our sense of humor, our sanity, our compassion, our heads, and our desire to help. Well….we did that most of the time. 😉
I want to thank our Fabulous AFT Or. Reps Bryan Lally and Mayra Vasquez-Garcia and past Union President Alen Bahret for all the great advice. We couldn’t have done it without you!
I also want to thank YOU. My Friends and colleagues. Over the last 2 years, so many of you have reached out to me with kind words, encouragement, and appreciation. I am very grateful for those words and actions. They gave me strength. I will always remember them. THANK YOU!
Finally, I want to ask a favor. Please be patient and kind to the new LCCEF Officers as they learn their roles. Please remember they are members just like you and I and these are volunteer positions. Each new Officer has varying degrees of knowledge about the Union and their roles. They will learn a lot as they go. But what they all have right now is a willingness to serve you, their colleagues. They will likely make a few mistakes just as we did. Please don’t attack them when they do. Instead try approaching them with inquiry and perhaps an offer to help. They will have the support of AFT-OR Reps Bryan Lally and Mayra Vasquez-Garcia, and all the outgoing Officers intend to support the new Officers as well, but the work is immense. It really does take all of us to get it done. Our Union does not consist of just those few Officers. It is ALL of US! Please get involved. Even the smallest things add up.
Best wishes for an amazing new year to everyone!
Robin, former LCCEF President
New Officers
Congratulations to the new Officers of LCCEF whose term started January 1, 2020.
WE APPRECIATE YOU!
President, Frankie Cocanour
VP Labor Relations, Kenny Ascheri
VP Organizing, Fred Rankin
Treasurer, Dacia Smith
Grievance Officer, Linda Reling
Communications Officer, Zhasmene Bowles
Membership Officer, Claudia Riumallo
COPE Officer, Fiora Starchild
Labor Delegate, Buck Potter
Member At Large, Stacey Vasquez
Records Officer, vacant
Bargaining
Don’t take down those “Fair Contract Now” signs yet!
The Bargaining Team have been meeting with the college on most Tuesdays since Oct 1st. We have secured 4 agreements, 3 of those are from the remaining 5 items left to bargain from our August 2019 MOA. The 4th is an agreement going forward for our contract 260 day work year. We made a proposal regarding SB 1049, PERS diversion of funds and filed 2 grievances. The Grievances are for 1) lack of completing the Class and Comp Study by Dec. 31, 2019 and 2) a disagreement regarding “Us Too” language. See the following list with links to the documents.
Completed:
- The college picked up the increase for a one month extension of insurance with Pacific Source as OEBB would not allow us to join them on October 1, 2019 due to late notice in confirmation.
- Article VII – Dues and Fair Share Deductions.
- House Bill 2016
- Additional agreement:
Proposal:
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- This bill will cause your retirement funds to be diverted from your accounts! Each of us were promised 6% of our salary to be added to our retirement accounts by the college. It is a benefit promised at time of hire. This bill will divert 2.5% of that 6% for Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees to help pay for the PERS deficit! It will divert 0.75% of OSRP employees retirement fund. This will clearly impact all of us. We are asking the college to increase this benefit amount by the same amount that will be diverted thus keeping the employees whole.
Grievances:
- “US Too”
- Grievance filed
- The college granted the faculty full steps and are calling it a pay error correction. We believe this is a smoke and mirrors and is a way for the college to give faculty a step increase while denying the classified the same increase. We plan to take this grievance to arbitration and make the college prove the pay error is legitimet.
- Monetary compensation for Classification and Compensation Study
- Grievance filed
- The last report we had from the college is the consultant would have the Study completed by Dec 24th, 2019. We have not seen any results yet. Regardless of whether it is complete or not there still remains the bargaining for monetary compensation for any positions that are shown to be under paid by the market analysis.
Stay tuned as the new Officers set dates and times for when and where Bargaining will be held next.
Board of Education Message 12.18.19
Member Organizing Institute
Want to learn how you can be trained to help make our union stronger?
We are pleased to announce that Claudia Riumallo will participate in the MOI program Winter term. This will provide Claudia with great training for her role as the new LCCEF Membership Officer. Thank you Claudia!!
AFT-Oregon’s Member Organizer Institute, is a training and development opportunity for emerging leaders and activists who are ready to take their union organizing skills to the next level and build our local for the future.
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 – continued negotiations
- Research into e-Voting for union business
- The Constitution and ByLaws rewrite
- LCCEF Contract Committee (educate members and managers)
- Member Organizer Institute
- Worksite Leaders
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