Our Mission: LCCEA engages in collective action to ensure an equitable learning and working environment and advocates for social justice and systemic change for the public good.
We are writing with good news — inflation and our cost of living adjustment are higher than anticipated. The federal government released inflation data today, and the official figure for January 2023 to January 2024 is 3.09%.
This 3.09% is the Cost of Living Adjustment (i.e. COLA) that will be added to all faculty salary schedules for the 24-25 year.
In addition, faculty who are eligible for steps will advance one full step on the schedule (i.e., 3.75%) This will equate to a year-over-year increase for step-eligible faculty of approx. 6.95%.
More details about the contract rollover can be found in our email below from last week.
The Administration did not provide notice to LCCEA of its intent to modify the Collective Bargaining Agreement (i.e., contract), and your LCCEA Faculty Bargaining Team elected to roll the contract over.
This means that the new expiration date for the contract is June 30, 2025 instead of 2024.
For the 24-25 year, faculty can count on:
Steps in the amount of 3.75% for all step-eligible faculty;
A COLA (i.e., cost of living adjustment) that is based on the official inflation index;
Maintaining College contributions to insurance based on current language that provides excellent protection for faculty;
Maintaining workload protections, such as class sizes; and
Maintaining all other benefits and rights.
As for the COLA, our inflationary index is the US CPI-U All Cities (CUUR0000SA0) for January to January. The January 2024 figures won’t be available until later this month, but for reference, the figure for the most recent 11-month period is 2.532%. We anticipate that the full-year inflation data, once available, will be reasonable but will differ from the 11-month figure we note.
If we apply the preliminary inflationary data based on 11 months rather than the full year, for step-eligible faculty, increases from this year to next year would be approximately 6.28%. Please note: this is arough estimate onlyand will be updated and finalized after the federal government publishes the January data.
This rollover of the contract meets faculty top priorities based on the All Faculty survey and will provide stability and predictability for faculty over the next year. In addition, we believe this is in the best interest of the campus and community at-large.
We will provide more information as soon as the inflation data is published and will hold a hybrid Q & A session for faculty from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, February 9.
Our thoughts are with everyone in the Eugene-Springfield area as you continue to live with the impact of our winter storm. The storm has offered a pause of our ordinary lives – one that in your position as the member of the Lane Board of Education could be used wisely to address concerns about the treatment of faculty at Lane. I write today representing community college faculty and staff from across the state to urge you to do just that.
The OEA Community College Council represents over 4,000 faculty and staff working at 11 of Oregon’s community colleges. We write as united brothers and sisters in support of the Lane Community College faculty and the Lane Community College Education Association (LCCEA). We have been following the unfolding of some concerning events at Lane Community College and join individual local unions in expressing our concerns.
We are alarmed by ongoing attempts to intimidate, silence, and terminate the employment of faculty who were racial discrimination complainants and Lane Community College Education Association (LCCEA) leaders. We support their ongoing efforts to support and advocate for an equitable workplace free from bias and discrimination and to represent the interests of faculty at the college, supported by state labor law and the rights afforded them by the collective bargaining agreement. There is no room for intimidation or retaliation for legal union advocacy at any college.
We are alarmed by actions taken by the college to lay off faculty of color who have highlighted discriminatory practices at the college and to seek to do so in a manner that did not honor their seniority and contractual protections. It is concerning to see evidence that the college retaliated against faculty who sought to utilize college policies to highlight discriminatory practices at the college. This behavior also makes it hard to create an inclusive learning environment for students.
These events, coupled with administration actions such a letter threatening legal actions sent by the campus attorney in an effort to silence the Faculty Council and the dismantling of Lane’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, are not conducive to a healthy learning and working environment for faculty and students.
We are alarmed by the administration’s refusal to follow the college’s own policies and procedures to allow faculty and staff to express concerns in a fair and transparent manner without retaliation.
Based on all these concerns, the faculty and staff across the state represented by the Oregon Education Association call on the Lane Community College Board of Education members to publicly condemn the administration’s use of intimidation and retaliation against faculty who have lifted their voice up for justice and fairness. Now is the time to investigate these important concerns and show the LCCEA and faculty and staff that they can feel safe and supported at Lane Community College.
We look forward to hearing of your positive action addressing these concerns,
We hope this message finds you warm and safe during the ongoing ice storm and with hope that, if you are without power, it will be restored soon!
Emergency Funds for LCCEA members
Emergency funds are available for LCCEA members, who may request up to $300. These are available to meet members’ financial needs, which could be due a class cancellation, an unanticipated medical expense, or other one-time needs such as unanticipated expenses due to the ice storm.
Our union cousins at the GTFF have reached a tentative agreement with UO, averting a strike which was set to begin tomorrow. Learn more about their historic agreement here. Solidarity works!
Please find below a message from our union colleagues of the GTFF at the University of Oregon, with whom LCCEA stands in solidarity as they work toward a fair contract for graduate employees, which may necessitate exercising their right to withhold their labor:
The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (the GTFF) is the union of nearly 1500 graduate employees (GEs) at the University of Oregon. We make UO run by teaching, grading, and researching, but not a single GE currently makes a living wage. The GTFF has been bargaining with UO administrators since March and have won a great deal: protections from misgendering and caste discrimination; reimbursement of visa fees for international workers; additional prep and planning time; and more. But the University refuses to pay GTFF workers for the value we create. In light of this, 90% of GTFF members voted in a strike authorization vote, with 97% voting yes.
We have a few humble and vital asks of solidarity from LCCEA: first, it has come to our attention that the University of Oregon intends to attempt to hire scab workers to undermine our labor power in the event of a strike. In particular, we expect them to reach out to LCCEA members to fill our roles as teachers and graders. We ask you to say no to scab jobs!
Second, if you are able, the GTFF welcomes donations to their Strike Fund. Anything that does not get used by our local’s strike will be distributed to other labor unions in our community and state to support the struggle for dignified wages, benefits, and protections. And of course, we would heartily plan to return the favor when the time comes.
Finally, if GTFF does walk off, we welcome you to our picket lines!
Lane Community College Education Association 