Coalition of Graduate Employees

Update 12/9/2009: The bargaining platform has been approved, with a vote of 98 for to 2 against.

11/19/2009: The CGE bargaining team has completed its work drafting our 2009-10 bargaining platform.  This platform broadly outlines our goals going into negotiations this year as well as our rationale behind them.  You can download a copy below.

• CGE 2009-10 Bargaining Platform

Approval of this platform is pending a vote by the CGE membership.  This vote will be held online and will be open until December 4.  You can access the voting site through the following URL:

• http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/208700/cge-2009-10-bargaining-platform-vote

Voting is open to CGE members only.  If you are a current CGE member, you will be emailed a unique ID to use to identify yourself as a member on the voting website.  While each member’s ID is unique, they will not be associated with members’ names, so your vote will remain anonymous.

Please feel free to use the comment section of this post as a forum to discuss the platform online.  You can also contact CGE directly with any questions you have.

Results of the vote will be published at cge6069.org when the polls close on December 4.

On Thursday, July 30th at 6 PM, all CGE members and their families are invited to Avery Park’s Maple Grove Shelter for a summer BBQ.  We’ll be providing some food, but you’ll have to provide the rest, as well as the drinks.  And if you have a game to play – a frisbee, croquet set, etc. – bring that too!

See our Facebook page or check your email for more information.  And, of course, you can RSVP or ask questions by emailing unite@cge6069.org or calling 541-757-7141.

A map to the shelter is available here.

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.

3/26/09 UPDATE: Despite the CGE officers and staff repeatedly asking OSU’s Human Resource department to extend the deadline past March 15, at this time OSU has declined to extend the deadline.  However, we are happy to announce that over 400 grads turned in requests for the new summer insurance benefit.  We will continue to work with Student Health Services, the Graduate School, departments and Human Resources to resolve the issues that arose in the week leading up to the March 15th deadline.  If you are interested in working on this issue, please contact CGE at unite@cge6069.org.

If you intend to get 50% summer health insurance coverage for the coming summer, THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR SUMMER COVERAGE (WITH A 50% OSU CONTRIBUTION) FOR GRADS EMPLOYED SPRING TERM 2009 IS THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 13TH, 2009. This deadline is non-negotiable.  You can download the enrollment form below.

• Grad Assistant Summer Insurance Form

To enroll, you must print and complete the above form and then either turn it in to the Student Insurance Office (Room 110) in Student Health Services or else fax or mail it there.  If you are faxing or mailing your form, you may do so by Sunday, March 15.

A few notes on enrollment for the 50% summer health insurance contribution are below:

• This year, only grads with an assistantship in the spring term are eligible for the 50% summer contribution.  Next year, this will change so that any grad with an appointment during any single term will be eligible for the contribution.
• Payment for your own portion of the cost of summer health insurance will be made through an additional deduction from your May paycheck.  This deduction will cover the cost of your portion of premiums for July, August, and September.  Please refer to the form for the exact cost.
• The deadline to withdraw from the program is May 15.  If you are unsure now whether or not you will want the 50% employer contribution over the summer, we suggest that you sign up for it now and then cancel before May 15 if necessary.
• In the original form, the fine print claimed that you had to expect to be employed in Fall 2009 to qualify.  We have confirmed that this is incorrect – the requirements are a Spring 2009 assistantship of 0.2 FTE or more and enrollment in the Graduate School in Fall 2009.

Below the fold is a rough FAQ with answers to a few questions we’ve received about the new summer health insurance option.  Read on if you have more questions.  We’ll be adding to the FAQ as necessary.

If you have additional questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  You may also want to direct questions to Erin Palmer (erin.palmer@oregonstate.edu), who administers the grad assistant health plan.

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