Events – Portland Community College Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals

Union Day of Action Thursday Oct. 24

Colleagues:

If you read Frank’s latest bargaining update, you’ll understand why we need to do more to let the administration and the PCC Board know that quality education for our students isn’t free.

We’ve been telling them that for almost a year. We’ve had over 200 members show up at negotiations sessions and over 50 at the board meeting at September. But they are still not hearing the message.

We need you—whether you’ve been plugged in since we started negotiating in February or just tuned in now. Please join us, along with our Classified colleagues, for a UNION DAY OF ACTION this Thursday, October 24. When we stand together, we are strong.

Because the PCC Board ultimately holds budgetary powers, we are bringing our argument directly to them.

Informational picket at both entrances to the Sylvania campus from 3:00-5:00 so that the board sees us when they arrive for the Board meeting.
An information session and rally in the SY CC building (5:00-6:00) prior to the PCC board meeting
Board meeting starting at 6:00. They saw us coming in, they’ll see us in the board room, too.

If you can come for part or all, we need you to help get this contract done. It’s time.

If you like details, there’s more below the signatures. But we hope to see you Thursday,

RSVP HERE!

In solidarity,

Sara Robertson and Nick Hengen Fox, PCCFFAP Organizing Committee Co-Chairs

Details:

Picketing

Meet at the union office (ST 01) before 3pm or just join us at one of our two picket sites after 3pm.

Bring: a rain jacket and a smile. We’ll have signs and guidance for you.

Getting There

Some union groups will be riding shuttles from the other campuses–if you would be a shuttle coordinator for your campus, please let us know!

Shuttle departure times from each campus to Sylvania

Campus departure times	Arrive at Sylvania	Link to schedule	Campus contact riding shuttle
Rock Creek @ 2:25	3:00	Blue line	Sara Robertson
Cascade @ 2:15 or @3:15	2:40 or 3:55	Green line	TBD
Southeast @ 2:30	3:10	Yellow line	TBD

Dinner

Our federations will have dinner available before the board meeting.

Board Meeting

No need to speak, but your presence is essential. We will bring our passion and enthusiasm and be seen and heard.

Wear blue–our union’s color–if you can.

Members tell the PCC Board of Directors: a 1% COLA is not enough!

Thank you to the 50+ members who showed up at the board meeting last Thursday, including those who carried the banner with more than 120 member signatures and messages to administration. Many of you spoke movingly about the realities of trying to survive in Portland on PCC wages. It can’t be said enough how much your presence matters, and how powerful it is for the board and administration to see the union shirts and to hear from employees directly.

PCCFFAP’s Annual Labor Day Picnic 2019

Come one, come all to the annual PCCFFAP Labor Day Picnic, presented by Northwest Oregon Labor Council (NOLC)!
Last names A-L please bring a side dish, last names M-Z please bring a dessert!

Ride bracelets, scrip for BBQ food/beverages & face painting from 10a-4p (partners & children welcome, though we kindly ask to limit group sizes to 5 – additional folks can of course purchase additional ride bracelets at the reduced price. Note that parking fills up fast, so plan accordingly!

PCCFFAP Marches for Students

On May 8, PCCFFAP joined with thousands of public school teachers across Oregon demanding schools be fully funded.

An Open Letter

(Photo credit *Texas State Teachers Association)*

To Oregon’s K-12 Educators

To our friends and colleagues:

In this moment, when educators around the country, from West Virginia to L.A. to Chicago, are leading transformative struggles for more just and equitable communities, we want to tell you this: we are moved by your courage and outrage, and we stand with you.

We understand that for decades, all levels of public education have been under assault by the forces of austerity and privatization. We’re inspired by educators who aren’t just trying to hold ground – to slow the decline – but who are demanding bold new visions that hold up education as a central part of a fair and democratic society.

Many of us will be in the streets with you on May 8th.

In solidarity!

The Portland Community College Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals

Affected by Layoffs or Closures? Wear Blue to the PCC Board Meeting!

Fellow Members,

Have you been affected by PCC Administration’s latest layoff notices or program closures? How has your students’ success been impacted? Your Federation urges all members to wear blue this Thursday evening at the PCC Board meeting. You can also sign up to speak at the meeting if you choose.

The uncertainty that has been placed on many of us is a huge distraction from our teaching or academic jobs. Instead of focusing on student issues, we are forced to begin searching for new employment and perhaps new healthcare providers. Many of us have decades of experience and will have to battle rampant age discrimination to find new work. It will require our full and immediate attention to replace the pending loss of income. Our focus will invariably shift away from student success.

Meanwhile the academic paths to student success have been obliterated without a plan in place to replace them. If a bridge needed to be updated, should it be blown up before the replacement plans have even been begun? Administration says they will map the student paths soon but they want to minimize the involvement of the existing experts in the field.

Please join us to tell the PCC Board how Administration’s decisions are affecting your students’ success. Wear blue and stay as long as you can! You can optionally sign up to speak at the end of the meeting. Testimony is limited to two minutes and we encourage you to focus comments on your own perspective and experience.

While the Board cannot change Administration’s policies, key PCC administrators and President Mark Mitsui will also be in attendance. It’s important that they see our support for our fellow members, especially as the difficult financial portion of bargaining negotiations is about to begin.

PCC Board Meeting (agenda)
Thursday, April 18, 6:30pm
PCC Sylvania campus, Room CC 233A & B

I hope to see you there in blue!

In Solidarity,

Will Mahoney-Watson
PCC CAWT Faculty
PCCFFAP Vice President for Part-Time Faculty at Sylvania

2018 Faculty and AP Picnic

Join the FUN at the Faculty & AP Picnic!

Friday, September 28th
5 PM to 7 PM

Willamette Park

(SW Macadam at SW Nebraska)

Please join us at our union’s annual back-to-school picnic this Friday, September 28, from 5-7pm at Willamette Park (near John’s Landing, just south of downtown Portland along the Willamette).

PCCFFAP will provide burgers (incl. veggie options), hot dogs, some sides and drinks, and we ask that last names A-L bring a salad/side dish to share and last names M-Z bring a dessert—a truly collaborative picnic!

Partners, children and friends are all welcome! There’s a playground at the park, and we’re right next to the river for great views and strolls.

Again, welcome back to AY 2018-19. We look forward to seeing you and socializing at our union picnic this Friday!

Questions? Email Mary Sykora at mary.sykora@pccffap.org
or call 971-722-4722!

PCCFFAP’s Annual Labor Day Picnic 2018

Come one, come all to the annual PCCFFAP Labor Day Picnic, presented by Northwest Oregon Labor Council (NOLC)!
Last names A-L please bring a side dish, last names M-Z please bring a dessert!

Picnic Flyer

Oaks Park Map

Black History Month Special Event

Race and Labor: Building a More Just Economy

Presentation and Discussion with Bill Fletcher, Jr.

When: February 20, 2018 6pm to 8:30pm

Where: 70 NW Couch St, White Stag Building Room 142/144

Bill Fletcher, Jr. has been at the forefront of both the labor and anti-racist movements for four decades. Fletcher has served as Education Director for the national AFL-CIO and as senior staff for a number of national labor unions. He has also served as president of TransAfrica Forum, as Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, and as an editorial board member of BlackCommentator.com. He is author or co-author of multiple books, including Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice (University of California press, 2009).

See the LERC website at lerc.uoregon.edu for more information and to sign-up for this FREE PUBLIC event

PCCFFAP members pack potatoes at the Oregon Food Bank

On February 10, members of PCCFFAP and PCCFCE came together to volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank.

We learned a lot about food insecurity in Oregon and how we can make a difference in our community through volunteer efforts. Along with packing potatoes, many of us participated in Oregon Food Bank’s postcard campaign by signing postcards that will be sent to our congressional representatives to advocate for continued funding for SNAP benefits.

At final count, we learned that we sorted and packed 27,219 pounds of potatoes, which equated to 220 meals per volunteer. While it sounds like a lot, it’s not enough. Oregon Food Bank needs our continued support! (Click here for information about how you can support their efforts.)

It was great to see union members showing solidarity and helping to fight hunger and food insecurity in our community.