CGE Budget 2009-2010
Above is a breakdown of CGE’s annual budget for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year. Below are detailed explanations of each budget category. If you would like more information about our budget, please contact us or stop by the CGE office.
Affiliation Fees
We pay affiliation fees to AFT, AFT-OR, and, to a much lesser degree, the AFL-CIO. Paying these fees entitles us to many essential and useful things, such as:
- a staff rep from AFT-OR who provides professional expertise to our local, especially during bargaining
- other paid staff whose job is to increase funding for higher education at both the state and national level, among other things (AFT-National in particular has access to significant legal and research resources that CGE could call upon if necessary)
- organizing and member recruitment support
- access to the member benefits negotiated by AFT and AFT-OR
- tech support for the office computers (both hardware and software)
Staff
We pay fair salaries and benefits to our staff Business Manager (Michele) and Organizer (Dennis), who are indispensable in maintaining the union’s most basic functions and organizing efforts. The EC, the CGE Reps, and other committee members are all non-paid volunteers.
Office Expenses
This includes rent for office space and charges for utilities and services such as phone, email and web hosting. Also included in these expenses are printing, postage, and office supplies and equipment.
Collective Bargaining
These funds cover the costs of bargaining sessions and meetings, information requests and – in rare cases – arbitration fees. In the past, CGE has succeeded in negotiating concessions that have improved the lives and working conditions of grads, such as the $300 fee differential and summer health insurance coverage, among other things. These are, very literally, “your union dues at work!”
Member Events
These costs include:
- quarterly general membership meetings
- quarterly meetings for the CGE Reps
- the CGE Fall barbecue
- sending delegates to the annual AFT-OR state convention
- sending delegates to the biannual Alliance of Graduate Employee Locals (AGEL) conferences
Organizing
These are costs directly related to bringing new members into the union and often include printing and other materials. However, for both environmental and financial reasons, the CGE Executive Council is moving to decrease the amount of paper used by the union.
Leadership Training
Occasionally our members and staff have the opportunity to participate in leadership training or professional development opportunities. As participation in these opportunities improves the quality and effectiveness of CGE’s operations, we have allocated a small amount of funds to support these activities.
Contingency Fund
In the short term, this represents CGE’s effort to save enough money to finance the union through the summer, when operating costs far exceed income from dues and fair-share. In the long term, it represents CGE’s attempt to maintain a reserve fund. It is standard for most unions to maintain a reserve fund equal to six months or more worth of operating costs.
Insurance
CGE is required to contribute to worker’s compensation insurance for its two staff members. For legal reasons, CGE also maintains a liability insurance policy, covering both the office itself and special events where union members are present (such as the General Membership Meetings).
Fair-share Notification
CGE is required to notify all new fair-share payers about fair-share at least 30 days prior to the first payroll deduction. This category covers the cost of printing and mailing these notifications.
Click here to view the FY ‘08-09 budget (Feb-June only).
