For a full detailed agenda of our GMM, go to this link: https://bit.ly/2nqsoxP

• Our union discussed the pending Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME The outcome of this decision will likely make the collection of fair share costs illegal. Currently, as CGE is required by law to negotiate on behalf of all graduate employees with a TA or RA and provide these workers with legal protections (as it should be) everyone in our bargaining unit pays a portion of the costs, their “fair share,” of what goes into bargaining and grievance procedures. Janus will make this no longer the case, and it is specifically designed to hurt unions.
  • To prepare for Janus, we have set a goal of adding 300 members to our union by June, 2018. We are also asking members to get visible and wear their union pride by putting Proud CGE Member placards in their office and wearing their CGE shirts to campus. We are also organizing around issues that matter, including the high cost of housing in our town, and encouraging members to join a CGE committee and get involved!
• We had an election for AFT-OR Convention delegates! Nominations were made from the floor of our GMM and nominees had the opportunity to talk about why they wanted to serve as a delegate. The results of the election are being tallied, and the delegates will be notified of their election by Monday, February 12. Once delegates accepted their nomination, we will be publicizing who will be serving as a CGE delegate for all our members.
• Hazel Daniels, our VP of Bargaining and Grievances, gave an update on our bargaining happening right now with OSU. Bargaining sessions are Thursdays, 12-1pm, at Westminster House (101 NW 23rd St.) and all members along with their families are encouraged to attend! For more info on bargaining, check out our GMM agenda above.
• On February 16-17, our union along with GTFF (grads at UO) are heading to Portland for an organizing blitz to show our solidarity with the newly formed PSU graduate employee union, GEU. They are currently in mediation in bargaining (an elevated stage of bargaining that could potentially lead to an impasse) and are asking our union’s to send members up to Portland to help do office and house visits, and attend their bargaining session on Friday. If you are interested in joining us for this blitz, please email our organizer at organizer@cge6069.org
• We discussed ways of solidifying our values as a union including our core principles of equity, inclusivity, and social justice. Our participants split into groups and had small table discussions about these topics, and we are considering the testimony provided from each group for moving forward. If you have thoughts about these matters, please contact our Executive Council at ec@cge6069.org
• We have multiple committees that are looking for members to get involved in, these include: Housing Committee, working on making rent more affordable and improving tenant’s rights in Corvallis; Health and Safety Committee, a advisory council we participate in with OSU to keep our members and working conditions safe; Diversity and Inclusion Learning Group, our VP of Social Justice, Micknai Arefaine, is looking for folks that want to participate in the development of a social justice program for our union. This will include articles for self-education, workshops on important skills like facilitation, and also volunteer opportunities for important events happening in our community. If you are interested in any of these committees, please contact our VP of Organizing, Mohammad Pakravan, at cge.vp.organizing@gmail.com or Alex Riccio at organizer@cge6069.org
• Our open floor included announcements about plans for a steward training on learning how to respond to trauma from sexual assault victims. For more info contact our organizer, Alex Riccio. We also had an announcement about an upcoming election for County Commissioner, and two of our own union members will be running for these positions. Finally our friends over at Inspiration Dissemination put out a call for participants to come onto their show and share the research they are working on at OSU.