Coalition of Graduate Employees

Tuesday afternoon, about 35 CGE members took a few minutes to deliver a letter to OSU President Ed Ray’s office.  That letter was the culmination of a week’s worth of work by volunteers delivering almost 900 letters to faculty members here on campus.  The letter makes clear that we need to see progress on fees if we are to wrap up bargaining, and encourages faculty to weigh in on this issue, because the bargaining team believes that moving backwards on fees will make it harder for faculty to recruit and retain talented graduate students.

Tomorrow, July 30th, at 2 PM in the Memorial Union Council Room, the bargaining team will be meeting with OSU.

The university has promised us they will bring an economic proposal that takes into account the importance we place on fees, and has indicated they will have guests present from the Finance and Administration unit.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible.  We’re getting very close to the end of bargaining now, and what happens on Friday will probably play a large role in determining what the overall outcome of bargaining looks like.  Please join us!

From the April 23rd General Membership Meeting and officer elections, the CGE officers for the 2009-2010 academic year are:

• John Osborne, COAS, President (returning)
• Rob Hess, EECS, Vice President for Collective Bargaining and Grievances (returning)
• Ian Pfingsten, BPP, Vice President for Communications (new)
• Andrés Vaughan, MPP, Vice President for Organizing (new)
• Julia Michaels, MPP, Secretary-Treasurer (new)

Congratulations to Andrés, Ian, and Julia for stepping up, and for John and Rob for sticking around to start their third year as officers!

In other news, members briefly discussed the ins and outs of summer health insurance, recapped the AFT-OR Annual Convention, heard from the Budget Committee about the status of the union’s finances, got invited to a conference for graduate employees (AGEL), and recapped CGE’s progress in passing legislation that would reduce fees.

Thanks to everyone who came out, consumed almost all of the food and drink, and made this the biggest spring GMM in recent memory!  We’ll post a few pictures as we get them.

The General Membership Meeting this term is going to be Thursday, April 23rd at 5:30 PM at the Chintimini Senior Center on the corner of 26th and Tyler.

Agenda items include officer elections for the 2009-2010 school year, officer and Convention delegate reports, the 09-10 budget, and more.

CGE officer positions are flexible and overlap as needed. However, certain positions have primary responsibility for certain areas.  If you are considering running and have questions, please contact the relevant officer at the email address listed.  General inquiries can be sent to unite@cge6069.org.

President: Chairs Executive Council meetings, represents the CGE to other unions and to OSU, participates in AFT and AFT-OR business. Often serves on bargaining team.  president@cge6069.org

Secretary-Treasurer: Keeps the union’s records and oversees the union’s day-to-day business routine. Reports on the union’s financial status to the membership and to AFT. Works with the Business Manager. treasurer@cge6069.org

Vice-President for Collective Bargaining: Chairs or co-Chairs bargaining team as necessary; handles grievances; generally responsible for contract administration and implementation. vp_bargaining@cge6069.org

Vice-President for Communications: Responsible for creation and publication of the newsletter; can be responsible for the majority of communications CGE sends to members and outside organizations. vp_communications@cge6069.org

Vice-President for Organizing: Oversees membership orientation and recruitment, Rep structure, and member benefits. Works with Staff Organizer.  vp_organizing@cge6069.org

There’ll also be plenty of food and drink for all who attend (as long as you RSVP). Hope to see you there!

(See below the fold for a map and directions to the senior center.)

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At the request of CGE, Student Health Services has scheduled an additional PacificSource Benefit meeting for Wednesday, April 8th, from 4:00-5:15 PM in Gilfillan Auditorium. A representative from PacificSource will give a brief overview of the graduate insurance plan and will be available to answer questions.  Benefit packets will be handed out and enrollment forms for Spring 2009 can be completed and turned in during the meeting.

If you have questions about any part of the PacificSource plan or simply want to get your Spring 2009 paperwork in early, come to the meeting.  The PacificSource representative only comes to campus a few times per year.

Please call or email Erin Palmer in the Student Insurance Office if you have any questions or concerns: (541) 737-7568 or erin.palmer@oregonstate.edu.

A PDF flier is available for anyone who wants to help spread the word about the meeting.

On Friday, March 6th (not Monday the 9th) at 1 PM, CGE and GTFF members, among others, will be testifying in front of the Oregon House Education Committee about the effects of fees on the lives of graduate employees.  Anyone who wants to join us is welcome.  Please contact CGE at organizer@cge6069.org or 541-757-7141 if you are interested in participating or have questions.

This is part of our effort to pass HB2508, a bill that would eliminate fees for all graduate employees in the entire Oregon University System.  The full text of HB2508 can be found here.

AFT-OR will also be holding a Lobby Day the morning of Monday, March 9th.  If you are interested in speaking to your state legislators about issues that are important to you, you can find out more and register to participate here or contact us.