Issue # 69: Dec 7, 2023
Update from the President
Frankie Cocanour
Update from the President
Frankie
Union Membership:
Why does being a dues paying member of the union matter? It matters because when you have membership you have privileges. One of the privileges is having the ability to vote to ratify the contract that the bargaining team is fighting for right now. Do you agree with what we have accepted tentative agreements on or do you think that we agreed to something that we shouldn’t have agreed to? If you are a dues paying member you will get to vote on it. If you’re not, you can complain, but you don’t have a voice that counts when it is time to vote. The contract we accept in the end is the one that our dues paying members vote for. As the bargaining team we want every person in the bargaining unit to have a voice, but to have the voice that decides on the final contract you have to vote for it. If you want to join and have a voice, reach out to either our Membership Officer Skye Nguyen or our VP of Organizing Colin Vurek.
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Bargaining:
On Monday the bargaining team requested that we start the steps of getting a mediator for bargaining. The process of getting a mediator will take at minimum 5-6 weeks with the holidays. The paperwork was filed Tuesday afternoon. We have one more bargaining session this Friday From 2:00 – 3:30 pm in building 30 room 132. After that we will hold a meeting until we have a mediator. We are hopeful that we will have as many people who are able to be in person there with us at this meeting. Following the meeting we will have a discussion and answer any questions you might have. We will also go over the next steps with members that are there.
Here is a list of issues that we put in our paperwork that we need assistance with:
Layoff notice, Employee recall rights,Trial Service Periods, Reassignment corrective periods,Transfer List, Overtime pay calculation, Workplace bullying policy, Public Health Emergency Procedure, 125 Stipends, Insurance stop-loss language, Retirement incentives, Temporary assignments for less than 0.5FTE employees, Officer Release Time, New Hire Salary placement, Salary adjustment for degrees, Promotional Placements, Bilingual salary adjustments for transfers, Committee chair compensation, Leaves with pay, Remote & Virtual Work, Wages, and Workload.
Board Report:
Read at the 12.06.2023 meeting.
Right now, we’re seeing an economic climate where workers across the country are getting double digit wage increases. Our initial wage proposal truly reflected the reality of the past seven years, and while the numbers may surpass what the administration is putting forth, it’s essential to acknowledge that we cannot afford to make major concessions. We heard the administration today talking about trading wages for benefits. Maybe some well-paid folks at this college could afford to horse trade with their livelihoods, but we can’t afford that. We’re heading into mediation in the new year, in hopes that this administration will get in touch with the reality the rest of us are living in.
For decades, we, as workers, have been willing to forego cost-of-living adjustments and steps in favor of benefits because we genuinely care about collaborating with the college to maintain a balanced budget. Our commitment to the well-being of this college and our community runs deep. However, we have now reached a breaking point. The events of 2020 revealed the college’s priorities, and sadly, it wasn’t centered on retaining people in their jobs.
Since then, positions have remained vacant, and our workloads have become overwhelmingly unmanageable. Colleagues consistently express their frustration to me – THEY ARE AT THEIR WIT’S END!
We are not asking for the moon; we simply want to live, access healthcare, and provide for our families. Regrettably, these basic needs have become more elusive today than they were just a few short years ago.
It’s time to face the facts. We cannot sustain this level of strain indefinitely. The college’s decisions impact not only our livelihoods but also the quality of education and services we provide to the community. It’s time to prioritize the well-being of the hardworking individuals who contribute every day to the success of Lane.
Next BOE Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday January 4th at 6:00 pm.
The board voted to move the day to give the cabinet time to prepare for the meeting after coming back from break.
“The Best way to right wrongs is to turn the light upon them.”
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
If you need help with an issue with your manager, please don’t hesitate to contact the union.
Announcements and Reminders
DON’T FORGET TO WEAR RED ON WEDNESDAYS AND TO OUR IN-PERSON BARGAINING SESSIONS!
Contract Action Team
CAT meets every Wednesday at 12:00pm to 1:00pm. If you’d like to join and help out with actions, membership drives and be part of something big email me at: colinlccef@gmail.com!
Let us know about your experience as a 1039/C3 or how your department uses them… let’s show Management they are more a part of the College than a mechanism to balance the budget in crisis.
Bargaining Survey: 1039 as Flexible Quick Layoffs?
Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation
The GTFF, a union representing more than 1,400 Graduate Employees, has been in contentious contract negotiations with the University of Oregon since March 2023. The UO’s refusal to provide a contract that enables GEs to live with dignity has pushed GTFF members to prepare for a potential strike.
Donate to the University of Oregon’s Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation Strike Fund!
Newsletter Feedback
We want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback on our Weekly Newsletter. Newsletter Feedback Survey Google Form
Bargaining
The pace for bargaining has sped up as both teams plan to meet 3 times per week. Your attendance is more than welcomed. We will also provide the LCCEF Zoom link below.
Attend as an observer in person or online.
LCCEFs Zoom: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/99506142128
Attend as an observer in person or online.
LCCEFs Zoom: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/99506142128
Upcoming Dates:
December 8th 2-3:30pm, 30/121
December 11th 10-11pm, 30/121
December 13th 10-11am, 30/121
December 15th 2-3:30pm, 30/121
Subscribe to the LCCEF Calendar
Members have requested to see the proposed Articles of the Bargaining Team and the College Team. Below is a link you can use to get in the weeds with your Bargaining Team!
Current Articles for Bargaining
Members are welcomed to observe via Zoom with your microphones and cameras OFF, please. I will be running a Slack Chat to allow observers to chat with me and I can pass ideas to the team at the table. I will actually be at the table also but also in the chat and the Slack chat to answer questions you may have. Email me your private email address to: colinlccef@ gmail.com so I can add you to the Slack chat. There is also a link below for anyone to RSVP on a Google form. You will find the link for the bargaining meeting below:
LCCEFs Zoom: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/99506142128
IF YOU’D LIKE TO RSVP TO BE SURE I GET YOU IN OUR BARGAINING CHAT PLEASE USE THE FORM BELOW:
RSVP for bargaining Slack Chat
Vice President of Labor Relations
Buck Potter (2022-2023 Term)
Good Thursday Colleagues:
Reminder: don’t be afraid to use your Weingarten Rights when a Manager calls you in for a meeting that ends up becoming a potential disciplinary meeting.
I have included this link: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/weingarten-rights
You can stop the meeting immediately by invoking your rights, and no further conversation on the matter can move forward until you have Union Representation in the room.
Hope everyone had a Great Thanksgiving, and got some much needed rest!
Vice President of Organizing
Colin Vurek (2023-2024 Term)
Greetings members, We are now bargaining about 3 days a week. The schedule is above in “Announcements and Reminders” along with the LCCEF Zoom link to the bargaining meetings. Please join us in person if you can.
We are also planning a Membership Drive in December. Stay tuned! We’d love for more members to take part in the Drive. Please email me at colinlccef@gmail.com.
UNION STRONG!
Greetings members, We are now bargaining about 3 days a week. The schedule is above in “Announcements and Reminders” along with the LCCEF Zoom link to the bargaining meetings. Please join us in person if you can.
We are also planning a Membership Drive in December. Stay tuned! We’d love for more members to take part in the Drive. Please email me at colinlccef@gmail.com.
UNION STRONG!
Greetings members, We are now bargaining about 3 days a week. The schedule is above in “Announcements and Reminders” along with the LCCEF Zoom link to the bargaining meetings. Please join us in person if you can.
We are also planning a Membership Drive in December. Stay tuned! We’d love for more members to take part in the Drive. Please email me at colinlccef@gmail.com.
UNION STRONG!
Greetings members, We are now bargaining about 3 days a week. The schedule is above in “Announcements and Reminders” along with the LCCEF Zoom link to the bargaining meetings. Please join us in person if you can.
We are also planning a Membership Drive in December. Stay tuned! We’d love for more members to take part in the Drive. Please email me at colinlccef@gmail.com.
UNION STRONG!
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Grievance Officer
Claudia Riumallo (2023-2024 Term)
Treasurer
Linda Reling (2022-2023 Term)
Contract Highlight of the Week – Holiday Pay
14.5.3 Employees required to work on designated holidays shall be compensated at a rate of one and one-half (1-1/2) times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in addition to holiday pay. When one of the recognized holidays falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as the holiday. When a holiday falls on Saturday, either the preceding Friday or the following Monday shall be observed, as determined by the College.
14.5.4 Employees who work less than full-time on an annual basis (1.00 FTE) will receive a pro-rated portion of the twelve (12) designated holidays. This pro-rated amount will be divided into equal payments and distributed to the employee each pay period.
14.5.5 Hourly classified employees (less than .500 FTE) assigned to work on one of the twelve (12) designated holidays outlined in Article 14.5.1 shall be paid at a rate of one and one-half (1 ½) times their regular rate of pay for all hours actually worked when assigned to work on a designated holiday.
Records Officer
Tracy Weimer (2022-2024 Term)
Communications Officer
Marleena Pearson (2022-2023 Term)
Bargaining three times a week with Management and the committee is meeting multiple times as week as well to work on the proposals and crunch data. Please help us by completing surveys and asking your coworkers to complete them, and by attending bargaining. We had to catch up fast with the Monday and Wednesday sessions catching a lot of people by surprise… but the calendar has the meetings through December 15th. If you can take a break, and join us in person at the beginning to show management you are invested it will have an impact.
The IEC meeting is scheduled for Dec 7th and in Safety Committee is Dec 13th. Are you prepared for Ice/Snow Procedures this winter? Do you have any OSHA type safety concerns on campus? Let me know!
Membership Officer
Skye Nguyen (2022-2023 Term)
It was great to see everyone in person and on Zoom during this crucial time during bargaining! As we near the end of the year I hope you all are getting some much needed vacation and time with your families and friends. I am also excited to help our new membership transition at the beginning of the year. I am sure it will be a piece of cake since they are coming from a VP role in our union.
If there are any questions about membership or someone has interest in joining, they can reach out to me (membership@lccef.org) or fill out the online membership form!
Your Benefit Info of the Week
Did you know that members get some really useful benefits? This week we are highlighting discounts and shopping to save during the holiday buzz! Get cashback and save on local shopping, dining, movie tickets and more. Check out the details on Union Plus for AFT Union Members.
Find out what other benefits you are qualified for as union members by going to AFT.org.
Resources you may need!
It was great to see everyone in person and on Zoom during this crucial time during bargaining! As we near the end of the year I hope you all are getting some much needed vacation and time with your families and friends. I am also excited to help our new membership transition at the beginning of the year. I am sure it will be a piece of cake since they are coming from a VP role in our union.
If there are any questions about membership or someone has interest in joining, they can reach out to me (membership@lccef.org) or fill out the online membership form!
Your Benefit Info of the Week
Did you know that members get some really useful benefits? This week we are highlighting discounts and shopping to save during the holiday buzz! Get cashback and save on local shopping, dining, movie tickets and more. Check out the details on Union Plus for AFT Union Members.
Find out what other benefits you are qualified for as union members by going to AFT.org.
Resources you may need!
Complete this form for a Membership card or a new membership card! If you are a new member, one may have already been requested, contact the LCCEF Membership Officer for info.
Chief Labor Delegate
Mark Jordan (2022-2023 Term)
COPE Officer
Fiora Starchild-Wolf (2022-2023 Term)
IT’S ELECTION TIME AGAIN! Or at least, it’s going to be soon.
2024 is a major election year, and if you pay attention to politics, you know that the Presidential election is getting started already–with the Iowa Caucus coming up in 6 weeks.
This one is going to be a very contentious one at the national level, due to significant threats to our governance of a democratic republic being warned by knowledgeable politicians, commentators, and respected journalists on both sides of the political spectrum. The future of Labor–which has been rising in power over the past couple of years–is very much a part of this coming national election.
At the state and local level, there will also be candidates important to LCCEF and how things go for us and for Lane Community College into the future.
Some of these candidates will be asking for LCCEF’s endorsement, so that they can say Lane’s Classified union supports their candidacy. Over recent years, with our endorsements and other support of candidates, we’ve had more support from elected officials, including Board of Education, but also from our Congressional Representative, our city governments, etc.
I have tried to hold a good process for evaluating candidates and choosing who to endorse, but I would appreciate having a larger team to develop this process and make those decisions, to better represent all of us.
Please reach out to me at fiora.lccef@gmail.com, as my easiest way to reach me, if you would like to be part of a Committee On Political Education to make this happen!
Officer At Large
Katie Neall
Greetings! Calling all C3s!
Hey Fellow C3s! Take a Quick Survey: Keeping in Touch
And thus we wrap up another term and head into the winter holidays with our union still hard at work actively bargaining for classified employees. Now is the time to double down as we move into mediation. Stand up for a fair contract NOW and show your support. Write the Board of Education a letter. Speak at the next Board of Education meeting, Thursday, January 4th, 2024. Attend a bargaining session. Bring a friend. Join a committee! Let’s roll into the New Year, united and strong in our efforts!
Officer At Large
Katie Neall (2023-2024 Term)
Stay connected to LCCEF
Website: https://lccef.org/
Subscribe to Calendar: LCCEF Union Google Calendar
Email address: lccef@lanecc.edu