FAQ
- Contents
- General
- Joining CGE
- Fair-Share
General
Q: What is the Bargaining Unit (BU)?
The bargaining unit consists of all the graduate employees who are technically covered by the CGE-OSU contract. This is complicated, since OSU applies the terms of the contract equally to both BU and non-BU grad employees. Formally, to be in the BU, a grad employee must have an appointment of at least 0.15 FTE, at least 0.1 of which is considered in service to the university. Decisions about who is and is not in service to the university are made by individual departments, but generally, grad employees who are doing research that will count towards their degree are not considered in service to the university and are thus not in the BU.
Joining CGE
Q: Why should I join CGE?
Because it improves your ability to negotiate for better pay and working conditions. The more members we have, the better the opportunity is to improve on graduate employee issues.
Q: Who can join CGE?
Any OSU graduate employee can join CGE. Graduate Teaching Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants who are in the BU become full members. All other graduate employees become associate members.
Q: How much does it cost to join CGE?
Member dues are 2.0% of your monthly salary before taxes. If you have an appointment for $1,000 a month, dues would be $20. Associate member dues are $10 a month.
Q: Can I get into trouble for joining CGE?
No. All graduate employees have the legal right to join CGE.
Q: Can international students join CGE?
Yes. International students have the legal right to join and participate in all aspects of the union. Union membership does not jeopardize your visa.
Q: Where does my dues money go?
Every one of our dues dollars goes toward building a stronger CGE and a stronger AFT. Our dues pay for our office and administrative staff to keep the union running. Additionally, we receive a great deal of support from our state and national organizations to help build CGE.
Q: How do I join?
Check out the page on how to join.
Fair-share FAQ
Q: What is fair-share?
Fair-share is a way to make sure that everyone who benefits from the union’s representation pays their fair share for that representation. CGE earned fair-share through bargaining in 2008.
Q: Who pays fair-share?
Every member of the bargaining unit who is not a member of CGE pays fair-share. Non-BU grad employees do not pay fair-share. Members of the BU who exercise their right to non-association because of a verifiable religious objection (valid under ORS 243.666) must pay an amount equal to union dues to a non-religious charity agreed upon by the university and the union.
Q: How much does fair-share cost?
The fair-share fee is equal to the cost of union membership, which is 2% of a grad employee’s monthly salary. In other words, grads who earn less pay less in fair-share fees. The fair-share fee is automatically deducted from each grad employee’s paycheck by the university.
