EUGENE, OR — Lane Community College and the Lane Community College Education Association (LCCEA) will enter mediation as the next step in their collective bargaining process. Mediation is scheduled to begin on February 12, 2026, in accordance with Oregon's Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act.
The move to mediation follows fifteen bargaining sessions conducted between July 2025 and January 2026. During this period, both parties have worked to reach tentative agreement on numerous contract provisions. The college and association have reached tentative agreements on seven articles and 24 memoranda, including provisions related to authority, personal leaves, initial salary placement, association dues, pay procedures, retirement benefits, along with common course numbering and major transfer maps.
Despite this progress, significant differences remain on economic proposals. The college has provided detailed cost analyses showing that the association's complete proposal package would require approximately $13.0 million in new ongoing annual costs. The college has repeatedly requested that LCCEA share their cost estimates to ensure both parties have a common understanding of the financial impacts and can work together to prioritize limited resources. The association has not provided comprehensive costing information on their proposal.
"Lane Community College is committed to supporting our faculty with competitive compensation and working conditions while maintaining our fiscal responsibility to students and the community," said Grant Matthews, Associate Vice President. "We have made substantial movements on wages, proposing cost of living increases of 2.0% annually, increased curriculum development rates, and equitable pay placement for career technical instructors. We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and working toward an agreement that is both fair to faculty and sustainable for our institution."
Lane has faced financial challenges in recent years. The college must balance its commitment to faculty with its obligations to students, staff, and the broader community it serves.
Mediation provides a structured opportunity for both parties to work with a neutral third party to find common ground and resolve outstanding issues. The college remains optimistic that mediation will help bridge the gaps between the parties' positions.
Lane Community College is committed to minimizing any potential disruption to students and maintaining continuity of academic programs and student support services throughout the bargaining process.
Additional updates will be shared as mediation progresses.
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Lane Community College educates over 17,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $675 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 8,900 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.