In response to a recent editorial, the United Employees of

Columbia Gorge Community College, AFT-Oregon Local 4754, want the Gorge
community to know we are committed to furthering the quality of public higher
education in our community.

We are united in our mission to guarantee our students have the tools they require to be successful.

Our days are spent educating, assisting, mentoring, and guiding students and potential students. We are dedicated to providing students with a comprehensive and fulfilling educational experience. As invested educators, we want to ensure our students have the best learning environment possible. Thus, we will continue to raise our voices when we see injustice, unfairness or misinformation.

We stand together to resolve issues affecting our college community, such as campus security and staff layoffs.

Together we're working to create an atmosphere of openness
and fairness with the college community and college administration. We are
eager to work with the administration to create solutions to these important
issues and cultivate a better educational experience, and will continue to be
open and honest at the table when discussing these topics.

We are united in this effort as: instructors, custodians, administrative assistants, accounting specialists, facilities technicians, instructional assistants, computer support technicians, payroll and benefit specialists and will continue to provide the best educational experience to our students as they maneuver through the world of higher education.

To do anything less, as some members of college's board have recently suggested, is unthinkable. Please stand with us in our efforts to improve the education experience at CGCC, because your students are our priority.

This is a public petition and names may be used in the publication of this letter. All who sign are protected by federal labor law.