PRESS RELEASE: DPLC RESCINDS ENDORSEMENT OF JULIE WEISSMAN

Posted on April 24, 2025 by LCCEA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4/24/2025

DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF LANE COUNTY RESCINDS ITS ENDORSEMENT OF JULIE WEISSMAN FOR LCC BOARD OF ED IN UNUSUAL WITHDRAWAL, LEAVING VOTERS’ PAMPHLET OUT-OF-DATE

The Democratic Party of Lane County (DPLC) voted to rescind its previous endorsement of Julie Weismann for LCC Board of Education at its Central Committee meeting on April 17, 2025. This took a 2/3 majority vote. In their Facebook announcement, the DPLC noted, “the DPLC Central Committee has determined it can no longer stand by its endorsement.” 

Because this change took place after the deadline for submissions to Lane County Elections, the official County Voters’ Pamphlet still lists the previous Democratic Party endorsement of Julie Weismann.

“We do not want the voters of Lane County to be confused. The Democratic Party of Lane County did officially withdraw their endorsement of Julie Weismann for the LCC Board of Education,” commented LCCEA President Adrienne Mitchell. “Our campus needs Board members who demonstrate a commitment to democracy, who stand by their word, and who put student and community needs first. Devon Lawson is the one for Zone 3.”

In the DPLC’s Facebook post withdrawing endorsement for Julie Weismann, they cited “concerns regarding the inconsistency between her spoken commitment and the subsequent Board vote.” 

Weismann, along with two other LCC Board members, refused to approve the appointment of Zone 7 candidate Jesse Maldonado to fill the position left vacant earlier this year by Lisa Fragala, who now serves in the legislature. This in spite of the fact that Maldonado is the only candidate on the ballot for Zone 7; he will take up the position in July; and appointing a person to fill a vacancy is required by LCC Board policy. 

The current list of DPLC-endorsed candidates can be found in bold on their website here: https://www.dplc.org/may2025  

Find more details on LCCEA-endorsed candidates, Austin Folnagy, Devon Lawson, Jesse Maldonado, and Jerry Rust on the LCCEA website here: https://lccea.org/2025/04/10/press-release-lccea-endorses-four-candidates-for-lcc-board-of-education/ 

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Bargaining Update: April 24, 2025

Posted on April 24, 2025 by LCCEA

LCC faculty colleagues,

Your LCCEA Bargaining Team met again today with the Administration for our sixth meeting on ground rules. 

We made considerable movement toward the college’s position. After believing we had met almost all the College’s interests through significant compromises, their representatives returned from a nearly 40-minute caucus without an updated counter proposal. They then shared specific concerns about our proposal language that they had never mentioned in detail before. We were able to immediately respond to clarify our language and offered to work together to reach agreement in the room.  The Administration declined, so we created a new proposal in ten minutes time in order to allay their concerns and meet their interests.  However, upon presenting this new proposal, the Administration was unable to make a decision before the end of bargaining and responded that they will get back to us by email tomorrow. 

We feel we have made every possible attempt to collaborate, address all their concerns, and meet their expressed interests. 

We will provide an update after we hear back from the Administration.

Your LCCEA Bargaining Team Leads:

Gerry Meenaghan

Adrienne Mitchell

April Myler

Peggy Oberstaller

Ryan Olds

Russell Shitabata

Kellen Wilson

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Bargaining Update: Ground Rules Discussion Continues at a Snail’s Pace

Posted on April 18, 2025 by LCCEA

LCC Faculty Colleagues,

Yet again, your LCCEA Bargaining Team Leads, now also including OEA consultant Kellen Wilson, met with the College to discuss ground rules. 

We are absolutely astonished and appalled that the College continues to delay bargaining in order to continue ground rules discussions of who can and cannot observe bargaining and by what means. We have exchanged 14 ground rules proposals. Fourteen. However, we do not yet have an agreement.

The College’s current proposal for Zoom observers includes only faculty with approved ADA accommodations that limit their physical attendance; faculty with legal agreements that allow them to perform job duties without being present on campus; and faculty currently residing outside of Oregon. This means that all other faculty, including faculty working in Florence, Cottage Grove, or at the Downtown campus and part-time faculty working multiple jobs could not attend unless they are able to come in person.

In addition, the College’s current proposal for in-person observers excludes LCC Board of Education members, whom they represent, and everyone else except faculty and College managers.

We have agreed to dedicate one more session to ground rules on the condition that the College add an additional real bargaining session, which they have accepted.

To summarize, we have not yet begun any negotiations of the contract as we move into a sixth session on ground rules, four of which were three hours long.  

You may be wondering why this is taking so long. We are, too. 

A glimpse into the College’s decision making reveals slow deliberation and a lack of agility. For instance, after our most recent proposal, they responded that they would be unable to respond today because they stated they didn’t have enough time to read and understand the latest changes, yet we spent an additional 20 minutes finding agreement on another date. Why not use this time to understand our proposal and respond? For our part, we have dedicated all this time to reach agreement on ground rules to help ensure that faculty can observe the negotiations of our own contract.

Our updated schedule for real bargaining sessions is as follows.

  1. May 8, 1-4
  2. May 22, 9-12
  3. May 23, 12-2
  4. May 29, 1-4
  5. June 5, 1-4

Your LCCEA Bargaining Team Leads:

Gerry Meenaghan

Adrienne Mitchell

April Myler

Peggy Oberstaller

Ryan Olds

Russell Shitabata

Kellen Wilson

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Bargaining Update: Ground rules again April 10, 2025

Posted on April 10, 2025 by LCCEA

LCC Faculty Colleagues,

Your Faculty Bargaining Team leads met with College representatives today for yet another preliminary meeting on ground rules. We do not have an agreement and will have to continue next Thursday for another three hour session to attempt to reach agreement. 

While we have made a lot of movement, the College has been unwilling so far to allow anyone to observe bargaining on Zoom unless they have an ADA accommodation. Given that the majority of our faculty are part-time; 50% of all courses offered at LCC are online; the norm on campus that virtually all meetings have a Zoom option; the fact that LCC has campuses throughout the County (e.g., downtown, Cottage Grove, Florence); and that the College recently allowed LCCEF members to observe their bargaining last year via Zoom and ours the year before, we are baffled and dismayed that the College seeks to constrain faculty members’ ability to observe.

We will continue this discussion again next week as we work on ensuring faculty have access to observe bargaining sessions both in person and on Zoom. 

Our updated schedule for bargaining sessions is as follows.

  1. April 24, 1-4
  2. May 8, 1-4
  3. May 23, 12-2
  4. May 29, 1-4
  5. June 5, 1-4

Your LCCEA Bargaining Team Leads:

Gerry Meenaghan

Adrienne Mitchell

April Myler

Peggy Oberstaller

Ryan Olds

Russell Shitabata

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PRESS RELEASE: LCCEA ENDORSES FOUR CANDIDATES FOR LCC BOARD OF EDUCATION

Posted on April 10, 2025 by LCCEA

What: LCC Faculty Union endorses pro-public education, pro-labor candidates Austin Folnagy, Devon Lawson, Jesse Maldonado, and Jerry Rust for LCC Board of Education
When: Special Elections Registration ends April 29; Ballot boxes open May 1 Close May 20
Where: Eugene, Oregon

LCCEA ENDORSES PRO-PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PRO-LABOR CANDIDATES AUSTIN FOLNAGY, DEVON LAWSON, JESSE MALDONADO, AND JERRY RUST FOR LCC BOARD OF EDUCATION

EUGENE, OREGON–The Lane Community College Education Association proudly endorses four candidates for the LCC Board of Education: pro-education, pro-labor candidates Austin Folnagy, Devon Lawson, Jesse Maldonado, and Jerry Rust. On Tuesday, candidates discussed their vision for LCC at a meet & greet at the Bier Stein on Willamette Street in Eugene.

“The future of our beloved LCC is on the ballot. The outcome of this election will determine whether Lane Community College continues to thrive as an open-access institution that serves the people of Lane County. Our message to the donors and anti-union interests making outsized donations to LCC Board candidates is clear: LCC is not for sale,” stated LCCEA President Adrienne Mitchell.

According to Mitchell, “Austin Folnagy, Devon Lawson, Jesse Maldonado, and Jerry Rust are candidates for the people, for our democracy, for progressive policy, and for justice on our campus and in our communities.”

Four seats on the Lane Community College Board of Education are up for election in the May 20 Special Election. Voter registration deadline is April 29 and ballot boxes open on May 1. The winners of each will serve four year terms beginning July 1, 2025.

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