Coalition of Graduate Employees

The third round of negotiations will be held in the Westminster House on Monday, March 17, from 3-5 pm. This session will see the first round of real negotiations (as opposed to simply exchanging proposals, as the sides have done at previous meetings). Keep an eye on this post to see what specific issues we will be negotiating over.

We understand that the 17th is the Monday of finals week, but your contract is probably more important to you than a grade anyway, so we hope you’ll show up. This session may be the most interesting so far, since we hope to engage the Adminstration in a real back-and-forth over some important issues. We are especially looking forward to seeing how the University justifies some of its proposals, such as the elimination without replacement of the $250-per-term fee differential (i.e. a $750-per-year pay cut).

We hope to see you there. As always, feel free to come and go as you please, and bring some work to do if you want. Your simple presence is imposing enough.

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...)

First I would like to also thank all the members who came out to observe our first round of negotiations. I was glad to know that I am not the only one interested in seeing the progress of negotiations in person.

As covered in an earlier post, this bargaining session was rather tame, some might even say a great time to get some grading done, but what did stand out to me is the fact that OSU management had nothing to propose - it was all “housekeeping”. But I understand that next time they are planning on proposing the deletion of the agreement proving the $250/term fee relief - wait how does that make sense?!? Well at least it will make for some interesting observing. And please do come observe, the next meeting will be March 5th from 3-5 in the MU. You may attend any portion or all of the session, as you are available. The only rule is that you may not be disruptive. Also if you have CGE gear, please do wear it.

Personally, I am attending these sessions for the following two reasons. First, I believe graduate employees have a right to a strong contract which represents our interests. Showing OSU management that this member is there to see that we form such a contract is important. CGE does not represent numbers or figures, it is its members. Second, I feel the best way to know that those you have elected to represent you, do represent you, is to see what is happening without the bullshit. By being an observer I send a clear message to both parties: I will know the facts, and if something is bogus I will be there to point it out.

If you were one of the observers from last week, please make a comment here on your thoughts or observations. And if you were unable to make it but have question, please also comment - I will make every effort to answer your question or find someone who can.

Melissa Hastings

We held our first bargaining session yesterday on our home turf, the Westminster House. Though we have been preparing for these negotiations for a long time, this the first real taste of bargaining for many of us on the team, including myself, and I must say that this first round was an educational experience, to say the least.

In particular, I, the rest of the bargaining team, and all the observers present learned one very important fact: the University Administration truly has no vision beyond the status quo about what life and employment should be like for its Graduate Employees. To me, that comes as somewhat of a surprise because every time we talk to the Administration, we and they agree that to transform OSU into a top tier institution, which is one of the Administration’s stated goals, we have to be able to attract the best and the brightest graduate students to drive the research that goes on here. To be able to do so, it seems obvious that OSU must offer a package to its Graduate Employees that at least compares with ones offered by other top tier schools. In a recent meeting CGE President John Osborne, CGE VP Bargaining Joe Tyburczy, and I discussed this very topic at length with the top levels of the University Administration, including President Ed Ray, Provost and Executive Vice President Sabah Randawa, Vice President for Finance and Administration Mark McCambridge, and Director of Human Resources Jacque Rudolph.

When it comes right down to it, though, the Administration makes it clear that, while it’s nice to talk about improving the lives of OSU’s Graduate Employees, it has no real plans to actually do so. Their approach to bargaining with us makes this fact quite obvious and, in fact, might be taken as suggesting that the Administration thinks our lives are too good already.

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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.

Yesterday dozens of grad assistants gathered at Kerr Hall for the first step in this year’s bargaining process, delivering to the university’s representatives a formal notice of our intent to negotiate a new contract. Before delivering the notice, CGE Vice President for Collective Bargaining Joe Tyburczy (Zoology) addressed the assembled members to explain the importance of the task we are undertaking and how all of our combined efforts help to ensure success in reaching the bargaining goals set by the membership.

After Joe’s address we decided we would all go inside to deliver the notice. Our first stop was the Graduate School, and after that we went to a couple of Human Resources offices to deliver the notice to the Director of Human Resources. Finally, after our business was concluded, we retired to Bombs Away Cafe for fellowship and refreshment.

The fact that dozens of grad assistants cared enough to come help deliver this letter lets OSU know how important this contract is to us. However, this was just the first step in the process of bargaining the new contract. In order to be successful we will need to sustain and even build upon this effort by turning out grad assistants throughout the bargaining process. We look forward to seeing you at the next event!

Pictures from the event

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