LCC Faculty Colleagues –
We are writing to share more information about the status of negotiations.
As your bargaining team, we believe it is critical for you to know that the issues that matter most to faculty remain unresolved or completely unaddressed by the Administration.
These include:
- Job security for both part-time and full-time faculty
- Compensation
- Workload, including TLCs for labs and lecture-labs
- Class sizes
- Contract length, stability, and clarity
- Faculty Professional Development decision-making and funding
- Safety
During twelve hours of mediation yesterday, we provided two complete package options at the beginning that would have fully resolved the contract negotiations. After reaching a pair of individual TAs early in the morning, the Administration spent five and a half hours deliberating, ultimately making very few proposals, no comprehensive response, and failing to address faculty key priorities. We did reach two additional TAs in the late evening; however, the four agreements (i.e., privacy, work year and inservice hours, governance, and online evaluations) represent minimal changes or reverting to pre-existing contract language. (While we attached the TAs, we cannot provide the mediation proposals due to the confidentiality agreement in mediation.)
We remain strongly committed to reaching an agreement in mediation, but we want faculty to be prepared in case that is not possible.
At this point in time, we strongly advise faculty to continue preparing in the event we cannot reach agreement in mediation. Due to timelines in state law, either party may declare impasse as soon as March 6 if no agreement is reached.
Steps we recommend you take now:
- Learn more about unemployment for striking workers in this toolkit, and take the first step by registering for a Francis Online account: https://frances.oregon.gov/Claimant/ (This step should be completed weeks in advance, so we recommend doing this now. This step does not mean that you are applying for unemployment now, but it is necessary to do this in advance before you can file in the future.)
- Participate in calls to action from the Action Team
- Write letters to the Board of Ed encouraging them to resolve a fair contract without further delay.
92+% of LCCEA faculty have signed strike pledges thus far. If you have not yet signed and wish to do so, please contact your department rep or LCCEA Action Team Chair, Wendy Simmons. If you are not yet an LCCEA member or are unsure of your membership status, please contact LCCEA Membership Chair, Aryn Bartley. OEA Strike funds are only available to union members.
Thank you to all for your engagement in strike schools, pledges, info pickets, rallies, and to the faculty volunteers who cheered us on as we began mediation yesterday.
We are stronger together! Our solidarity and resolve will carry us through.
Your LCCEA Bargaining Team Leads,
Adrienne Mitchell
April Myler
Gerry Meenaghan
Peggy Oberstaller
Russell Shitabata
