Help Mary and Mike stay insured

After a collective 62 years working for Columbia College Chicago, beloved staff members Mary Mattucci and Mike Bright lost their jobs August 16, 2021, when the school eliminated their positions. This left both Mary and Mike, 64 and a half years old, just months short of being eligible for Medicare.

Columbia’s staff union contract provides for 90 days of pay and health care when a staff member’s job is eliminated. On November 12, 2021, Mike’s and Mary’s 90 days will be up. This Go Fund Me seeks to raise money for their COBRA coverage through their Medicare eligibility so that their health insurance is seamless.

On February 1, 2022, Mary can get Medicare.

On April 1, 2022, Mike can get Medicare.

For 22 years, Mike was a treasured member of the film department, processing paperwork for hundreds of student workers each semester and helping to keep the college’s largest department running smoothly. As an administrative assistant in Cinema and Television Arts, his colleagues appreciated that he served students, faculty, and staff with kindness, calm, and a beautiful singing voice. Beyond work hours, Mike supported students and faculty by attending their screenings and events. He was an organizer of the staff union and served as the first president of the United Staff of Columbia College-IEA.

For 40 years, Mary was the administrative assistant in Columbia’s Radio and Communication departments, always giving a full 100% to the job. As full-time faculty described in a recent letter to the Columbia Chronicle lamenting the elimination of her position, “Countless students have referred to her as a sounding board, a reference, a counselor, and a friend. Mary was instrumental in keeping many students on track academically and even personally over the years. She was a secret weapon in retention, always being a champion for the students.”

The leadership of USofCC met with college administrators, asking that they please honor the outstanding years of service of these two individuals by helping Mike and Mary to bridge the gap to Medicare eligibility with a more generous severance payment than the minimum two weeks’ severance of the contract.

The college held high-level discussions to consider the request, but declined.

Mary Mattucci and Mike Bright touched the lives of thousands of students, faculty, and staff in their combined 62 years working for Columbia College.

Their contributions helped build our community. The college doesn’t care, but we do.

Let’s buy them eight months of COBRA insurance to thank them for their service.