Both sides are preparing for a prolonged dispute over faculty layoffs at the Eastern Oregon institution. Blue Mountain Community College finished laying off five full-time instructors last month as part of budget cuts, but the faculty union isn’t conceding defeat. In a Friday interview, Blue Mountain Faculty Association President Sascha McKeon said the union is filing 10 grievances against the college for violating the collective bargaining agreement. McKeon said the union sought the grievances — on behalf of five full-time faculty and five part-time staffers — because the college violated the contract’s “last one in, first one out” policy when it made decisions about who to lay off. Should the union prevail, the college would be forced to rehire the laid-off staff.
