Issue # 24: January 17, 2023

Update from the President

Frankie Cocanour (2022-2024 Term)

LCCEF Standing Strong 2023:

The main thing that the EC is focused on is labor issues and preparing to bargain this spring. It’s important that we all come together now and stand strong. Joining our CAT team is so important this year. We need to be solidarity together to get through bargaining. If we are divided we will be weak, if we work together we will be able to accomplish so much more. The union is not about the members that you elect to represent you, it’s about us being a team. That is why unions were formed. One or two people alone can’t bring about change, but all of us together can. If you are not a dues paying member please contact Skye Nguyen to sign up. If you are a dues paying member and would like to join the CAT team, please contact Colin Vurek.

EC Meetings:

We have changed the day and the time that the Union Executive Council meets. We were meeting on Mondays at 3:00 pm, but we were finding that this last term we were all getting pretty busy and were not all able to meet during that time. We will be meeting on Wednesdays at 11:00 am during winter term.

Announcements and Reminders

DON’T FORGET TO WEAR RED ON WEDNESDAYS!

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Vice President of Labor Relations

Buck Potter (2022-2023 Term)

Dawn Rupp our Grievance Officer is out of the office until February 9th. If you are having labor issues or think that you might have a grievance with a manager please send me an email and I will assist you.

Vice President of Organizing

Colin Vurek (2023-2024 Term)

Are you and your department ready for bargaining? How do you get ready, you have a connection to our Worksite Leaders and CAT groups. If we are going to get a fair contract this year, everyone is going to have to step up. Email me for more information: colinlccef@gmail.com

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To get your T-shirt email me at: colinlccef@gmail.com

T-shirt sizes and count

Small – 9
Medium – 33
Large – 32
Extra Large – 6

I also have window clings and stickers for you to flaunt your support for your union! See below!

DON’T FORGET TO WEAR RED ON WEDNESDAYS!

UNION STRONG!

Grievance Officer

Dawn Rupp (2023-2024 Term)

Happy New Year to all! Hope your holidays and time off were happy and we’re able to get some down time.

We are back full force and look forward to going into 2023 strong and ready for bargaining.

I am out on medical until February 9 but will be looking at all emails that come my way and helping out where I can with union issues.

Feel free to reach out to any EC member as they will be covering for me.

Check out the following wellness opportunities for employees for Winter 2023 at https://inside.lanecc.edu/wellness/employee-wellness-classes

Quote (mantra) to start the new year:

• Do the things you love more often

• Let go of people or situations that drain you

• Sometimes you need to get uncomfortable, to get

comfortable.

• Wherever your attention goes your energy flows.

• If you change your mindset you will change your life.

@innergrowthreset2

Treasurer

Linda Reling (2022-2023 Term)

2023 is already flying by. 🙂 We are working on ordering more t-shirts, look for an update on that soon.

Records Officer

Tracy Weimer (2022-2024 Term)

Greetings and salutations! Winter term is always a busy one, I never could get the hang of taking it easy. I considered for a hot minute of signing up for fewer committees and advocacy roles, then I learned of some proposed changes that made my hair catch fire. So much for a mellow transition into my new department, amirite? I am settling into my role in person (finally got my new office) and I look forward to worklife as your Recording Officer.

Tracy Wenner (Weimer) enrolled at LCC in January 2009 with a GED and a give’m hell attitude, she joined Phi Theta Kappa at the end of that year, thrown into hallmark writing before she knew what hit her. It took two meetings for Sigma Zeta chapter to appoint her Communications Officer, and soon after the Vice President for Leadership. Six months later she joined the ASLCC as their Communications Officer, and later that year she was appointed as Treasurer – a position she secured through election for the next academic year. After leaving ASLCC, Tracy went to work redesigning the SLD pages as a LETS worker at the Multicultural Center during the drupal conversion. At the end of the academic year, Tracy joined the summer youth program African American Rites of Passage as their Grant Writer, a role she has held since 2013.

When PTK scholarships began rolling in, she had no choice but to heed the universe’s call and go with the flow. Ms Weimer transferred to University of Oregon in fall of 2013 where more scholarships materialized, and she graduated 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – with a concentration in ISOM Information Systems and Operations Management. Tracy came to work for us at LCC right after graduation, operating the Center for Student Engagement for two years before moving to the Diversity Office of Equity & Inclusion in January 2019. During COVID 19, she enrolled in graduate school at the Oregon State University ecampus, studying College Student Services Administration. This fall (2022) Tracy transferred to Academic & Tutoring Services, and joined the LCCEF union leadership team.

Communications Officer

Marleena Pearson (2022-2023 Term)

Still thinking about workload around campus. Reach out and share your story so we have more of an understanding of where there are the issues on campus. Email Colin and help us organize: colinlccef@gmail.com

Thank you for the newsletter feedback so far, we will continue to put effort into improving it. Help us make this newsletter work for you! Newsletter Feedback Survey Google Form

Membership Officer

Skye Nguyen (2022-2023 Term)

Hello everyone, I am working on how to complete all of the different responsibilities and looking forward to implementing a lot of membership hospitality along the way. Watch out for these small changes! If you or someone you work with wants to become a member just send me an email nguyens@lanecc.edu!

Your Benefit Info of the Week

Did you know that members get some really useful benefits? This week we are highlighting discounts on computer purchases. Members can get a discount on select brands of computers. If you are needing to change your computer out why not use a discount. More info about this discount on AFT’s website.

Chief Labor Delegate

VACANT (2022-2023 Term)

Enjoy meeting with fellow unions in the county? Learning about what events, organizing, and partnerships are being offered throughout Lane County? Anyone appointed to this position would continue to serve the remaining one year of term in 2023.

COPE Officer

Fiora Starchild-Wolf (2022-2023 Term)

First, let me apologize for not being able to update in the past couple of weeks. My Mom passed away December 23, and I’ve been out much of the time since then.

I did send an update out to all of you through email the first week of January, as we watched the beginning of the selection process for Speaker of the House. This was the first time in exactly 100 years that the Speaker wasn’t elected in the first round, cleanly and easily. Though there has been some “spin” from some circles that having to vote 15 separate times in order to get a majority for Speaker Kevin McCarthy was, in fact, a show of “democracy working”, that isn’t really the case. Here’s why:

The floor vote has always been largely ceremonial. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t “democratic”. It means that, with exceedingly rare exceptions, the party that wins the House majority in the Election in November usually completes their process of choosing their candidate for Speaker before the House vote the following January.
That first day is usually a simple vote for Speaker, which the majority party has already made their own vote on so they will easily have the numbers in the full House. This means the majority has already formed some level of working relationship with one another at least.
All members are sworn in, which means they can have family members there for the ceremony.
Committee assignments get made and House business can begin nearly immediately, and budgets, etc, that are required to operate government, can be voted on, at least by the next day.

Instead, we witnessed a political party, and the entire House of Representatives, essentially “held hostage” in public by a small group of extremists within the majority party. For better or for worse, however each of us perso

Officer At Large

VACANT

We are looking for a 1039 employee that cares about what rights the 1039 classified professionals have with the new contract. Are you frustrated with how 1039 classified professionals are being used to fill long term positions with no real benefits? Would you like more control over how you are treated by management? If this fits you please reach out. It is hard for LCCEF EC to know exactly what is needed at this time because we are all full-time contracted. Please contact an EC member if you are interested.

Stay connected to LCCEF

Website: https://lccef.org/

Subscribe to Calendar: LCCEF Union Google Calendar

Email address: lccef@lanecc.edu