Portland Community College Federation of Classified Employees; Local 3922

THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE? APPLY TO OLCS

Have you ever considered running for school board, city council, a special district, or the state legislature?

The Oregon Labor Candidate School (OLCS) is now accepting applications for its 2027 cohort and provides union members with practical training on:

• Campaign planning and strategy
• Public speaking and messaging
• Fundraising and labor endorsements
• Volunteer coordination and field organizing
• Effective voter outreach

If public service is something you’ve considered, OLCS can help you build the skills and connections to take the next step.

https://www.oregonlaborcandidateschool.org/

Questions? Contact Dan Torres at [email protected]

UPCOMING TRAININGS ON UNION ORGANIZING

Prepare for the next academic year by training in how to build a stronger and more resilient union.

Labor Notes Workshop: What To Do When Your Union Breaks Your Heart
- Tuesday, Aug 18
- 4:30-6:00pm
- Online via Zoom
- Spanish interpretation will be available
- Fee: Suggested $10 (free option available)
- Register here: https://labornotes.org/events/2026/workshop-what-do-when-your-union-breaks-your-heart-2)

Secrets of a Successful Organizer
- Sunday, August 23
- 9:00-4:00pm
- 3645 SE 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97202
- Free, lunch and materials provided
- Register here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/secrets-of-a-successful-organizer-training-4/

Labor Notes Workshop: Bargaining Fundamentals
- Thursday, August 27
- 4:00-6:00 pm
- Online via Zoom
- Fee: $10
- Register here: https://labornotes.org/events/2026/online-workshop-bargaining-fundamentals

SIGN THE PETITION: NO MORE CORPORATE CEOS FOR PCC PRESIDENT!

A search for a new college president is set to begin soon. Join in an effort with our sibling union, FFAP, and call for the workers who keep the College running to shape the future of PCC.

Do you think your voice matters in finding a new president? Would you like to see a change in how the college is led? We don’t have to do things the way we have in the past. Our knowledge, skills and experience as workers are an asset to knowing what the college needs, not expensive consultants.

Add your name to the petition along with a comment about what you would like to see from the next college president to ensure that workers' voices are truly a part of the process.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd96ejrTEc9JEhQ8IA6FXylkZmCpBqgEV3UQ2OXLz0OS9dWMQ/viewform

Want to help shape this campaign? Contact FCE's VP of Political Action, Cassidy Curra at [email protected] to get involved.

HOW TO REPORT PAYCHECK ISSUES

Report all paycheck issues via the Pay & Benefits Questions Ticket Form.

If you have been underpaid by 5% or more of your current gross pay, submit the Pay & Benefits Questions Ticket Form AND notify PCC's Payroll Department of your right to repayment within 3 business days. Please notify them via email and copy our union's Grievance Committee:
- To: [email protected]
- CC: [email protected]

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Workers have rights under the State of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI):

"If your employer has been notified you were underpaid and there is no dispute, you must be paid the undisputed underpaid wages regardless of the cause of the underpayment.

"When the underpayment represents less than five percent of your gross wages, the amount may be paid on the next regular payday. If the underpayment represents more than five percent of your gross wages, the amount must be paid within three business days."

According to ORS (652.120): “If the unpaid amount is five percent or more of the employee’s gross wages due on the regular payday, the employer shall pay the employee the unpaid amount within three days after the employer has notice of the unpaid amount”

See the BOLI site for more information, including the link to file a complaint.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR AUGUST PAYSLIP IN WORKDAY

To find your payslips, use Workday's menu on the top left corner, and select "Benefits and Pay." Choose "View Most Recent Pay" to check your new payslip. This will reflect work done 6/21 - 7/20 with a pay day of August 3rd.

You can view your current gross pay (following the image above) and compare it against your previous payslip from July.

Check your Pre Tax Deductions:

In the pre-tax deductions section on your August 3 payslip, the numbers should be the same as the July 1st payslip, unless you've made recent changes. July 1st is the payslip where PCC accurately inputted the deductions (new health insurance caps) our union bargained for.

NOTE: In the "Employer Paid Benefits" section from the July 1st payslip, there should be a line that reads “Medical Insurance 4/21 2026 - 5/20/2026.” These funds will NOT be on this August 3rd payslip. That was an additional amount that was added to the July 1st payslip, because the new medical cap wasn't applied correctly in the June 1st payslip. It was a one-time item unique to July.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR GRADE, STEP, AND COMPENSATION IN WORKDAY

Many classified employees have been experiencing anxiety about whether their August 3rd payslips are accurate. These payslips should reflect our new 5% COLA (cost of living adjustment) that we fought so hard for and (if eligible) 3% step increases.

Below are some ways to check on your pay info in Workday:

Step One:
- Sign in to Workday and click on the profile icon in the upper right hand corner and choose “view profile” to go to your profile page.

Step Two:
- On the left side of your screen, choose “Compensation”

Step Three:
- In the middle of your screen, you will see your compensation, and the “step” section includes your grade, step and salary. These numbers should have been updated to reflect the COLA and step (if eligible) increases that are blocked out in the example above. Payroll indicated last week they were still updating this info for some folks.

You can cross-check the accuracy of your wages against your old salary in the “Pay Change History” tab. A classified employee in our union’s Discord community suggested a calculation of: old salary x 1.03 (step) x 1.05 (COLA) = new salary.

Make sure to compare your new salary against the raises our union negotiated with the updated Classified Salary Schedule (2026-2027).

https://www.pcc.edu/hr/wp-content/uploads/sites/49/2026/07/Classified-Appendix-A-2026-2027-Updated-618.2026.pdf

PRESIDENT AENGHUS CALLS ON THE BOARD TO TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION

The July 16th Board meeting was the first time Board members heard from FCE's newly elected President Aenghus. And the video has finally been posted!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=kwg_pcS7Bjf8JtqB&t=2589&v=Hodk2McZpNE&feature=youtu.be

Aenghus said:

"Over the past year, I’ve had on my mind the humanity of Classified workers. Not just do our members deserve housing and food? But, do they deserve to have children and families? Do they deserve to have healthcare? What does it mean when full time workers have second jobs and spend three hours a day commuting to and from work?"

Aenghus addressed the conflicting expectations our College has received from Governor Tina Kotek and state legistrators: pay workers, but do so without adequate state funding. Aenghus went on to say:

"Our workers share your concern, especially since – unlike the President and Board – we will be the ones facing layoffs if the current mismanagement of state taxes and budget is allowed to continue. We, who are already short staffed, will be the ones taking on the work of two or three people. We will be the ones told — once again — that management deserves a living wage, but Union and Casual workers do not.”

Aenghus called on the Board to take meaningful action:

"If Oregon leadership wants public education to continue, they must prioritize its funding. I invite PCC’s management and Board to stand in solidarity with our unions as we fight for that public education funding. More than one day in Salem, and more than quietly lobbying behind the scenes. I ask that you openly, freely, and proudly say that your constituents deserve an education and all humans deserve a living wage.”

Read their full remarks HERE: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/11xxdktLykreITkPEVV0L4Z94wzB1BkBpA1rqYCyO7Nk/mobilebasic

BOARD WATCH: WHO MADE THIS LAST YEAR SO DIFFICULT?

Euphemisms for the strike abounded during the July 16th Board meeting, referring to it as a "tough times" or a "difficult year" and never using the word “strike.”

Dan Saltzman was elected Chair and Greg McKelvey Vice Chair. Both were sworn in. PCC gerontology graduate Shantá Creech gave two public comments (agenda and non-agenda items) and spoke powerfully to the disillusionment students and workers are feeling in light of program cuts and financial mismanagement.

Classified employee (and newly appointed FCE campus rep) Blanca Coma called attention to how few Board members showed up to Commencement. Next she emphasized the need that classified employees have for our August paychecks to accurately reflect our new COLAs (cost of living adjustment) and for Workday to stop being used as an excuse not to pay us on time and correctly. (Note: There were some audio issues in the first few seconds of Blanca’s statement.)

Chair Penson took time to one-sidedly thank the Management Team for their hard work in negotiations – highlighting their long hours and stress – saying she wanted people to “understand what it takes to lead during difficult times.” During our union's watch party on Discord, a classified employee asked an insightful question: "who made the last year so difficult?" Many Board members seem to believe that workers made unreasonable demands for fair pay, and that's why leadership had a hard year. Classified employees believe that Management unreasonably denied us living wages for our hard work, and the Board didn't hold Management accountable, and that's why workers had a hard year.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=5gBm0a1nhWxhK9lw&t=1992&v=Hodk2McZpNE&feature=youtu.be

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (EC) UPDATES

On July 22nd, four classified employees were appointed to the Executive Council. New officers were appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the EC, demonstrated by a majority vote of the Council during a public EC meeting. Congrats to our new union leaders!

- Alexandra Stabenow, Secretary
- Blanca Coma Rosello, Cascade/Swan Island Campus Rep #3
- Cassidy Curra, VP of Political Action
- Chris Brewer, Grievance Officer #1 (Sylvania/Newberg/Coffee Creek)

Interested in being considered for a vacant EC position? Wonderful! Please submit this new EC Appointment Request Form from our union’s newsletter. This form meant to improve access and transparency for folks reaching out to the President for appointment.

To be considered for appointment at our August 26th EC meeting, please submit the Appointment Request Form by midnight on August 17th. Please plan to attend the EC meeting where you hope to be appointed. These meetings typically occur every other Wednesday, 5:30-7:30pm and are on the FCE Calendar on our union’s website.

Currently vacant EC positions:
- Portland Metro Campus Rep
- Southeast Campus Rep 1
- Rock Creek Campus Rep 1
- Willow Creek Campus Rep
- Grievance Officer 3 (Rock Creek/Willow Creek/Hillsboro)

EC Resignations
The following EC members have resigned from their positions within the last couple of weeks. We appreciate all the hard work and dedication of our Council members, and encourage folks to take a break from union work whenever necessary.
- Lily King, Southeast Campus Rep 1
- Jeri Reed, Willow Creek Campus Rep

For a current list of EC members, please review the Executive Council list on our union’s website.