It’s been a while since we’ve posted here.  But that doesn’t mean the wheels of bargaining have not been turning.  We had two sessions in the last couple of weeks.

The first was extremely frustrating.  We left feeling like the Administration’s team really had no plans to actually negotiate with us and were instead simply entertaining us with their presence.  They started that session by immediately caucusing for nearly half an hour (or about a quarter of the allotted bargaining time), and when they came back they stonewalled us at every turn, refusing even to agree to try to move some of the less contentious stuff off the table in the first few sessions to try to build some harmony between the teams on our way up to the bigger stuff.

The second session seemed to go better.  We presented a few proposals we figured would be very non-contentious (like the articles on Discipline and Discharge, the Grievance Procedure, and Consultation [17-19]) and the Administration engaged us in a bit of back-and-forth about each one.  We’re hoping that they will come back to the next session (which is TODAY at 1:00 in MU 206) with some counter-proposals on these articles, so we can discuss them and move them off the table.

We’re also going to try to address the Articles on Appointments and Work Assignments (9 & 10) today.  There have been numerous issues with Grad Employees not having the time to prepare for assistantships due to their not being appointed or assigned their duties a timely fashion, and we are trying to work some remedies to this situation into the new contract.

So, some to the bargaining session today.  Your support really is important to us, and it shows the Adminstration that we’re all interested in this contract.  The session will last from 1-4:00, but you can come for any amount of time, and you can bring work to do while you’re there.  Your simple presence is what’s important.

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...)

The second round of CGE-OSU negotiations will be held from 3-5 pm on Wed., March 5, in room 206 in the MU.

Things started to get a little contentious at the last meeting, and we didn’t even talk about any of the more sexy articles (as Brett, our master lead negotiator, calls them). At this meeting, we’ll introduce some of our economic proposals, including ones on salary and fee relief and, if we’re fast, health care and child care, so the proceedings should be riveting.

To date, the Administration seems to be looking only to maintain (or perhaps regress from) the status quo, while our vision includes many improvements to the current contract.

We’re hoping to get a huge contingent of observers to come out to this meeting to support that vision. We’re planning to meet at 2:45 in MU 206 to review what’s happened so far and to give a briefing about what to expect at this meeting. (A little bird told me there might also be some sort of social gathering involving refreshments immediately after the meeting.) If you are interested in observing, you can come for any amount of time. What is really important is that you show your support.

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.

(Continue reading...)

We at CGE are not usually the type of people who like to toot our own horns, but, I must say, the Winter ‘08 GMM truly rocked. As beer flowed free and cold from Clod’s tap and nachos abounded from their kitchen, we introduced our new Organizer (Dennis) and our new VP Organizing (Melissa), talked about how CGE has been kicking ass since the Fall GMM (including our successful Winter membership drive), and anticipated the impending birth of our VP Comminication’s (Allison’s) child.

With no baby forthcoming, Joe (our VP Bargaining) and Brett (our master lead negotiator) gave a rousing update on this year’s contract negotiations, and we had a discussion about the proposals—including full fee relief and cheaper, better, and more over-the-summery health care—we’ll be making to the university. In the end the membership was psyched about the contract we’re working for and unanimously endorsed all of our proposals.

Afterwards, we elected 5 delegates to head to Sunriver in April to attend the 56th annual AFT Oregon Convention, where by day they will conduct serious Union business—such as deciding how your dues are spent and plotting AFT Oregon’s legislative agenda for the year—and by night party with our brothers and sisters from the GTFF.

The meeting, unfortunately, was not without a touch of poignancy, as we concluded with a farewell to Chad, our long-time Organizer, who’ll be taking a job helping his fellow servicemen with the VA in Roseburg.

After the official business, a big group of us stuck around and learned how to insult people in foreign languages, shared stories about Wisconsin Dells, The Waterpark Capital of the World!®, and had another pitcher of free beer.

All things considered, this was unquestionably the best general membership meeting so far in 2008. We’re hoping we can say the same thing again in the Spring.

Sadly, CGE recently found out that Chad, our long-time Organizer, will be leaving us after Feb. 15th to take a new job with the VA in Roseburg, helping his fellow servicemen recover from the mental stress of military life.

This will be a major loss for CGE. Under Chad’s guidance, we have steadily increased our membership to record numbers. In fact, if you’re a member of this Union, there’s a good chance that Chad was the one who helped bring you into the fold. Chad also played a huge role in helping to resolve grievances and to otherwise help our members any way he could, and he worked every day to help keep the Union running.  Not to mention, he is just an all-around agreeable dude.

Needless to say, we will miss Chad immensely, and if you were affected by his good work, you probably will too. So, if you get a chance, drop Chad an email (organizer@cge6069.org), and help to let him know how much we appreciate all that he’s done for us.

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.

What employment issues are most important to you? CGE is beginning the process of bargaining a new contract with OSU that will take effect in 2008, and we want to know what aspects of your employment you would like addressed in that contract. Make your voice heard by taking the 2007-08 BARGAINING SURVEY. It will take only a few minutes, and the results will help the CGE bargaining team decide what issues to focus on as they begin to prepare for negotiations.