We won!!!! Our strike won!!! This tentative agreement is a sea change from all the offers we received prior to yesterday. I'm exhausted (since the tentative agreement came past my bedtime and then I was way too excited to sleep), but so happy to be going back to work today. I wonder if it had...

We did it @pccffap.bsky.social and we will never be the same. I am so inspired by the talent, committment, and resolve of my PCC colleagues and the students who stood with us every step of the way 💙💙💙

Our bargaining team is completely stunned by the lack of urgency of the PCC management team. We just learned they will not send us a response to our proposal until after the board meets at 5pm. The board has not met in over a week. Spring term hangs in the balance. WTF is going on.

My institution, Portland Community College, is in week 3 of a strike after 11 months of bargaining. My colleague friend wrote this powerful essay depicting the financial precarity of our faculty, which is of course a national trend. charlottedr.substack.com/p/behind-the... @pccffap.bsky.social

Apparently PCC Board member Greg McKelvey supports strikes when they financially benefit him, but not when he doesn't personally profit from the results. Right, Greg, it IS about R.E.S.P.E.C.T. www.reddit.com/r/PCC/commen... @pccffap.bsky.social

Not going to link but the Oregonian Ed Board coming out against restorative pay for striking PCC workers is class solidarity for bosses. Students understand this, which is why they are unequivocally on the side of teachers and staff #PCCStrike

One reason the PCC unions are winning the public relations war is that we don't have professional public relations people doing all of our comms. It's just teachers, staff, and students talking about how they are trying to go to school and afford groceries.

Important to note that PCC refuses to offer restorative pay for striking workers but they also want us to catch up on all the work we missed, including submitting grades.

Please read this op-ed co-authored by @pccffap.bsky.social union president Ben Cushing As with most strikes, this is about more than money. PCC workers are revolting against austerity, administrative bloat, and cuts that harm students. Day 13 and we are holding the line #PCCStrike

"Our bargaining teams came to the table in May 2025 expecting to make compromises in a challenging economic climate—that’s what bargaining is all about. But the administration appears to be prioritizing layers of management, extravagant benefits for the president and parking millions in reserves..."

I took the Zoom transcript from last night's Portland Community College Board meeting and cleaned it up so people could easily read the testimony. All were 🔥, but my faves were from student Rachel Thomas (which made me 😭) & @pccffap.bsky.social President Ben Cushing. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

“Right now, the people who teach us are outside, not because they want conflict, but because they want to feel valued for the work they do every day” PCC Cascade student Rachel Thomas

PCC Board of Directors: I'm asking you to do the right thing and step in and repair the damage that Dr. Benning's administration has done to labor relations at the college. @pccffap.bsky.social and PCCFCE make this institution run and deserve contracts that have a COLA that meets the moment ✊🎓👷‍♀️

I stand in firm solidarity with PCC’s Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals (@pccffap.bsky.social) and Federation of Classified Employees (PCCFCE) members.

When you impose an austerity budget on workers and students while funneling money to administrative bloat, expect resistance 💕

Yesterday, the PCC administration asked us to arrive at 8am and promised to have a proposal in our hands by 8:30. We did not reveive a proposal until nearly 11am. Mediation is a lot of sitting around, but it's not unproductive. SO much happens when nothing is happening at the table.

Read the comments. Students are (correctly) placing blame on PCC administration for the strike 🥰 www.instagram.com/portlandcomm...

Today, I joined the picket line of striking faculty, academic professionals, and classified employees at Portland Community College. I proudly support these committed workers who make PCC such a vibrant learning community and urge PCC to settle a fair contract soon. #solidarity @pccffap.bsky.social

I'm actually shocked that our local Fox affiliate ran this story in which students place the blame for the strike/disruption squarely (and correctly) on PCC administration 💙💙

As someone with disabilities who just had skin cancer surgery earlier in the week, picketing during the first three days of this strike has been beyond exhausting... and I wouldn't have missed it for a second! I love my @PCCFFAP and PCCFCE union siblings so much. Solidarity is everything!

Shout out to @senkhanhpham.bsky.social and @councilorgreen.bsky.social for supporting PCC workers on the picket lines this morning. We're holding it down on Day 3! #PCCstrike #WeFixPCC

PCC Admin fought hard against open bargaining. They wanted all mediation to be confidential. They didn't want to be interviewed on camera for this piece. Corporate-style comms and glossy PR is not leadership.

I've worked at PCC for 17 years, served in union leadership for 10 of those, and this is my fourth time serving on my union (@pccffap.bsky.social) 's bargaining team. I love PCC and I love my colleagues, and I want to share a little bit about why we are preparing to go on strike next week.

Thanks @wweek.com and @joannah11.bsky.social for covering my union's potentially history-making strike. We do not wish to be a test case for SB 916, but it's nice to know that our members will have access to unemployment benefits if this drags on a few weeks

If the strikes drag on, PCC could be a case study for whether unemployment benefits strengthen the determination of employees to hold out for a better deal.

💥📢Stand with Strike-ready PCC workers this Saturday! 🪧And sign up for a picket shift! Bring your friends and family! forms.gle/BPb1GNbRFqW9...

Portland! We hope you will join us this weekend to rally and march for PCC workers fighting for fair wages and benefits. ✊💙

Portlanders, did you know that both unions at PCC have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike? If you love PCC and want to protect it please join us this Saturday for a public rally and march. @pccffap.bsky.social

“All seven potential strikes, if employers continue to refuse to avert them, would occur in either March or April, in what would be one of the largest education union "strikewaves" in U.S. history 🔥🔥🔥

Strike Wave, LFG 🌊 @pccffap.bsky.social

In a historic action, both federations at PCC have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike! This does not mean a strike begins now, but that our unions are organized and ready to fight for a fair contract. #solidarityforever #wefixpcc

Excellent article in the NW Labor Press on FFAP and FCE contract negotiations and our collective action!

ICYMI there were some fireworks at the PCC Board Meeting last night. The testimony from students and workers was so powerful. We presented a strike pledge signed by 783 of our members. A faculty member announced a recall petition for Board Chair Tiffani Penson.

Today we are launching our 1st ever strike authorization vote 🔥✊ This morning the PCC President announced 2 layoffs of exec/management level staff in her office. Each will receive 6 months severance. Makes you wonder if they moved up the timeline to influence strike vote. Are they panicking? 🤔

Today union leaders from 5 OR community college locals met to coordinate possible strikes in the near future. Solidarity with LCC Educators Association, PSU Faculty Association, PCC Federation of Classified Employees, Classified Association of COCC, staff from OEA and AFT OR & our PCCFFAP leadership

🧵 about ADMINISTRATIVE BLOAT 👎 The number of managers at PCC has increased by 29% since 2019. During this time, morale has tanked. Our 2024 member survey showed that 9% of FFAP members trust administrators to make decisions that are in the best interest of students. 1/

Since 2019, enrollment has declined by 19% but management FTE has increased 29% Last year, 43% of new hires at PCC were managers, administrators, or confidential employees. Cutting programs = fewer students/less revenue. This headline should be "PCC has a spending problem"

The PCCFFAP (Portland Community College Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals) seeks a Lead Organizer, Solidarity and Political Action to be based in Portland, OR. Details can be found at: unionjobs.com/listing.php?... #1u #UnionStrong @pccffap.bsky.social @aft.org

The difference between how PCC presents contract language on layoffs (left) and what the contract actually says (right - our additions in red). We'll be filing a group grievance on behalf of our colleagues who received layoff/reduction notices.

The only hope for higher ed is the academic labor movement. Join this @higheredlabor.bsky.social call next week to plan our fight us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

After ordering its nursing faculty to cross the picket line of Oregon's largest ever healthcare strike, PCC backed down under pressure from @pccffap.bsky.social Cross-sector solidarity FTW ✊ #ProvStrike2025

I ran another recent email from our President about "reaffirming our values" through multiple AI detectors & all found it 100% AI-generated. What does that say about our college administration's values? Our student gov is asking for a plan to protect undocumented students and this is the response?

The PCC President has an army of communications professionals at her disposal, including an Internal Communications Manager. This morning, after three days of radio silence about the federal funding freeze, she sent a message that was likely generated by AI.

Just another day at PCC where students, staff, and faculty are left in the dark about things that affect them. Chop chop! #ChopFromTheTop

WHY hasn't PCC communicated a single word to faculty and staff about the federal funding freeze? They hired an INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER in 2023. Pure administrative bloat! Time to #ChopFromTheTop

Portland Community College directed its nursing faculty to cross the picket line of the largest healthcare strike in Oregon history. Read the very spicy reply from our union lawyer. (TL;DR: You idiots. This is illegal. Knock it off) #ProvStrike2025