Coalition of Graduate Employees

Yesterday afternoon, the management of Oregon State and the Coalition of Graduate Employees laid out the their visions of the future. They are markedly different.

The CGE has a three-pronged approach to increasing every graduate employee’s total compensation:

1. Wage increases every year of the collective bargaining agreement for both the minimum salary and for every graduate employee based on their years of service.
2. A full fee waiver for every graduate employee.
3. Increasing OSU contribution to health insurance from 75% for the individual premium to 100% of the individual premium and 50% of domestic partner and family premiums. The OSU contribution would also be extended to include summer term.

To reiterate, CGE wants every employee with more money in their pocket. We want larger paychecks through raises, through an end to fees, and through a larger employer contribution to health insurance. By extending the employer contribution to health insurance, we want to increase graduate employees’ ability to take care of their families. By increasing OSU’s contribution on individual premiums from 75% to 100%, we are also preventing de facto wage cuts when premiums go up.

Management’s proposals on these three issues are dismal. They proposed eliminating any kind of a minimum salary, no raises and completely killing the $750 per year fee relief. That’s around a month’s rent, utilities and groceries. They think the current health insurance plan doesn’t need any improvement and didn’t really have any comment our proposed changes. Apparently the administration  doesn’t foresee any insurance premium increases. I do, and I see them as wage cuts. So, the adminstration’s position can be summed up as less pay for getting better at our jobs.

We went over several other issues. Highlights include: (Continue reading...)

We’ve got a General Membership Meeting this Thursday at 5 pm at Clodfelter’s. We’ll be discussing our contract proposal (i.e., what cool things are going to start happening next year!), introducing the bargaining team (the best graduate bargaining team in the country!), and electing delegates to go to AFT’s convention in Sunriver (a great chance to relax one weekend between spring break and memorial day!) We’ll be buying the first round or two (soda or adult sodas) for every member who comes and some appetizers, too. Also, we’ll have a prize for the member who brings the most non-members to the GMM and gets them to sign up! As I’ve had a looooong four weeks already, I’ll be enjoying myself once the business is concluded. You should too.

Today, the CGE’s bargaining team met with the administration’s bargaining team regarding ground rules for negotiations. The discussion went well and both sides are pleased with the rules. We have set our first few two bargaining dates. The first will be Wednesday, February 20 from 3 pm to 5, hosted by the CGE and the second will be Wednesday, March 5, from 3 pm to 5, hosted by OSU administration. We look forward to having our members observe negotiations and offer feedback to the bargaining team.