Subject: Re: Reasons to Reject LCC Salary Take-back!

Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 14:41:07 -0800

From: "Jane Benjamin" <benjaminj@lanecc.edu>

To: LCC Faculty

ALL Faculty,

The negotiations around Step Raises are troubling. Faculty bargaining is in

good faith and it seems the administration is representing a posture that

is not very respectful of our work, equitable pay or our worth. In my

tenure here our salaries have eroded (overall for faculty) and our work load

increased. A shift of administrative and traditional office support has

been cloaked as "a shift toward technology which alleviates the work of the

faculty". I have found this to be not true.

As Faculty I am happy that we are getting a physical and technical

infrastructure that will help in our teaching delivery thanks to the Bond.

I am hopeful that attention to environmental safety in the workplace is

being taken seriously. But these forward steps cannot replace the need for

professional living wage jobs.

Eugene is not an inexpensive place to live. According to calculations, I

will loose a few hundred shy of $20,000. by the time I retire at 65. I

have a family to support, a son to put through college and I must accomplish

this on one salary.

Step raises are not a luxury for most of us.

Step raises have been a foundation of our contract since I have been with

the college and a standard in most reputable institutions. To pull the

foundation to save $191,000 is not very far sighted nor encouraging in the

effort to settle this contract. I along with Jim Salt reject this salary

cut. Show your support in any way you can. Thanks for your time.

Jane Benjamin

Social Science