Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) is located in downtown Eugene and their SEIU 503 represented workers provide services for seniors and people with disabilities throughout all of Lane County. Last year, Eugene City Council proposed an increase in rates for downtown parking garages to go into effect in early 2019. The stated reason for the increase is to “influence drivers to use alternate forms of transportation.”
Historically, the Overpark Garage at 1000 E 10th Ave. has provided a block of parking permits (107 permits in 2018) for LCOG workers, with workers paying for their permits through their paychecks. The proposed changes in rates would not only increase costs by over $100 per year, but LCOG’s parking block was at risk of being eliminated completely, pushing employees onto public waitlists — an unforeseen consequence.
SEIU 503 LCOG President Twila Jacobsen
LCOG’s work is dependent on timely access to reliable transportation, with workers making nearly 645 house visits per month, including one-on-one visits for case managers, outreach workers, and adult protective services investigators. Furthermore, the changes would create another barrier to access for Lane County’s aging and people with disabilities populations seeking services at the 1015 Willamette Street LCOG S&DS office.
“Raising parking rates for the poor, disabled, and the folks who have dedicated their lives to providing them with the care to live a life of dignity is left out of the conversation while those going to exercise at the Downtown Athletic Club continue to receive their parking permits purchased at a bulk discounted rate,” said SEIU 503’s LCOG President, Twila Jacobsen. Jacobsen worked with SEIU 503’s communications department to develop an email campaign directed at members of Eugene City Council and Eugene Parking Manager Jeff Petry. Twila shared the campaign with her coworkers while the union circulated the campaign with leaders and activists in the Eugene area.
On February 5, Twila got word from LCOG Executive Director Brenda Wilson that City of Eugene has agreed to return LCOG’s parking block. Wilson mentioned specifically that she believed it was through the efforts of LCOG staff that the parking block was preserved. When we are united around common issues and speak in a collective voice, there is no limit to what we can achieve.