1. What is at stake for us?

Our collective bargaining agreement (or “contract”) dictates all of our working conditions, benefits, and pay. We have bargained for many changes throughout the past year, but the main obstacles we still face are salary, the terms of the agreement, and support for international workers and working parents.

OSU’s most recent offer pairs a longer contract term with insultingly low salary raises that affect a minority of grad workers. They are asking us to accept wage stagnation and a dramatic limitation on how often we are able to negotiate the contract. Going on strike might be the only way we can preserve our rights and secure fair pay for our work. You can read both OSU’s and CGE’s last offers at this link.

 

2. Who gets to decide if we go on strike?

We do. This is a decision that affects all of our working conditions, so it is one we have to make together. Every CGE member (except associate members: see question 11), will be asked to cast an official “Strike Authorization” vote, and we will work hard to make sure every member does so. If the vote passes, the CGE bargaining team will be allowed to give the university notice of intent to strike and set a start date.

 

3. If I vote “yes” on a strike authorization vote, am I required to go on strike?

Voting “yes” on the strike authorization vote (SAV) does not immediately trigger a strike. It gives the bargaining team the ability to declare one, which they will only do if OSU does not meet the needs of our workers through the collective bargaining process. Striking is an absolute last resort, and the bargaining team will only call for one if it is absolutely necessary, and only if they have the support of the rest of OSU’s grad workers.

A strike will only be permitted if the SAV passes with 75% approval. 30% of CGE members must vote as a minimum, but we are aiming for supermajority participation.

 

4. If a strike is called, am I required to go on strike?

If the bargaining team calls for a strike, it is not a legal requirement for every GE to stop working. However, every single GE who continues to work during the strike (whether they are a member or not) actively diminishes the power of every worker on strike. Essentially, it would be a decision that would actively oppose your fellow workers who are fighting for everyone’s working conditions–including your own. That’s why it’s called “crossing the picket line” or “scabbing.” The best way to ensure our success, including a short strike, is for every single worker to withhold their labor together.

 

5. What exactly does it mean to go on strike?

It means we stop going to work and engage in organized picketing at various sites around OSU’s campus. If OSU is not willing to pay us fairly for our work, we can show them the value we bring to the university by walking off the job. This is the strongest way we can leverage our collective power to get a fair contract.

 

6. Am I required to notify my supervisor if I plan to go on strike?

There is no formal law or statute requiring GEs to notify their supervisors of intent to strike or participation in a strike. We have seen departments send out communications stating that GEs are required to notify their supervisors within a certain window so that their pay can be cut. This is an obvious attempt to intimidate workers from striking. 

Whether or not you notify your supervisor is up to you. Some supervisors are supportive and will work with you to develop a plan for your strike. In other instances, it might be empowering to tell your supervisor of your intent. We also recommend reaching out to your steward or other organizers in your department to see what their plans are and to work together to figure out your decision.

 

7. How long would a strike last?

The length of a strike is decided by membership. When a majority of members feel that we have gotten the best contract we can get, members can vote to close the strike.

 

8. What happens to my pay and other benefits?

In general, striking means ceasing work and forfeiting pay for the duration of the strike. However, CGE has planned for a number of contingencies to make taking this risk safer for workers. First, we have access to two strike funds, one internal and one through our state federation, AFT-Oregon, to provide compensation for striking workers. Two, we intend to negotiate back pay in some form as part of the final agreement with OSU, so we will work hard to provide retroactive support to counteract potentially lost wages. Third, we will time our strike so that we have as long as possible before the first missed pay period. 

While employers are technically allowed to end health benefits that they have not yet paid for, cutting health care is extremely rare and difficult logistically for the university to manage. OSU is much more likely to threaten the loss of health care to dissuade workers from going on strike than they are to actually cut health care. In the event that this does happen, we can use our collective resources to support workers in need through mutual aid networks in CGE and the community at large.

 

9. What about my visa?

It is illegal to retaliate against striking workers, including threatening your visa status. International and undocumented workers can participate in union activities, just as domestic workers do.

Employer interference with, restraint or coercion of employees in the exercise of protected activities is an unfair labor practice under ORS 143.672(1)(a). If the natural and probable effect of an employer’s actions would tend to chill protected activity, that action constitutes a violation of the PECBA. AFSCME Council 75 v. Umatilla County, 23 PECBR 108 (2009). Protected activity includes the right to plan and participate in a lawful strike. ONA v. OHSU, 19 PECBR 590, 598, remedy order, 19 PECBR 684, ruling on request for recons., 19 PECBR 696 (2002).

No matter their country of origin, all GEs are public employees protected under the law to engage in organizing and strike activities. If the University threatens or intimidate GEs, particularly international students, it can have chilling effect on their exercise of concerted action. If this results in international students feeling like they must choose between remaining silent and keeping their student visa or exercising their rights and risking deportation, it is a violation of the PECBA and we will pursue action against the University.

Universities are notorious for sending out misleading or threatening information about visas before or during a strike. For example, OHSU recently sent out an email to its workers ahead of a strike that made it seem like visas would be severed during a strike. If OSU sends out information regarding visa status that concerns you, please email solidarity@cge6069.org.

 

10. How would a strike affect my degree timeline?

It’s important to remember that if you go on strike, you’re only withholding your GTA or GRA labor, and you can continue to work on your student projects. If you’re a GRA and this distinction gets murky, see number 13.

 

11. Are fellows allowed to go on strike?

No, fellows are not in the bargaining unit and not protected during a strike. However, there are lots of ways fellows can honor the picket line and contribute to our collective effort. If you want to be more involved, please email vp_organizing@cge6069.org.

 

12. Are non-members in the bargaining unit (GTAs and GRAs who have not signed blue cards) allowed to go on strike?

Yes, if you’re represented by our contract you’re allowed to go on strike. However, we strongly urge you to sign a card if you intend to strike. Being a member is the only way you can vote on contract ratification, vote to end the strike, and receive wages from the strike fund. Become a member at this link.

 

13. My work as a GRA and my work as a student are closely connected or the same, what does a strike look like for me?

You’re not alone! Many other grads are in this situation and would love to talk to you about how to navigate the situation. We have been working hard to set up departmental organizing committees in every department so that workers can make their own plans to address these concerns. If you need contact information for your department’s organizing committee, please email vp_organizing@cge6069.org. 

 

14. I’m worried about my experiments/live test subjects.

It’s ultimately OSU’s responsibility to make sure that any basic lab maintenance happens during a strike. There are also ways that you can prepare for a potential strike. These plans could include advance-planning your experiments or informing supervisors that they may need to make alternative plans to take care of these subjects.

This is also a situation where departmental organizing committees can help. If you need contact information for your department’s organizing committee, please email vp_organizing@cge6069.org. 

 

15. Can I be fired or disciplined for going on strike?

The law protects our right to strike and makes any retaliation illegal. Moreover, every worker who participates in a potential strike increases our collective power and decreases the likelihood that anyone would experience unlawful retaliation.

 

16. Is there a way that I can support bargaining without going on strike?

If you’re affected by our contract, the best thing you can do to support our efforts is by engaging in the strike (and other collective actions) with the rest of us. Choosing not to strike if one is called* is your right, but it has a direct, negative effect on our bargaining. Every worker who crosses the picket line makes it that much harder for every striking worker to pressure OSU into giving us a fair contract.

If you’re not in our unit and want to support us, please consider donating to our strike fund. Donate on Venmo @CGE-OSU

 

Ongoing Strike FAQs

I’m a GTA and students in my class told me they’ve been alerted that I am on strike. What do I do?

First, try to remain calm. As ideal as it would be for OSU to not know who is and isn’t striking, this is a bit unrealistic. Additionally, this shows that our efforts are having an impact! Administration would not be trying to squash our strike if they weren’t a little scared! One thing you can do is talk to the undergraduates! Talk to them about why this strike is important and how our working conditions are deeply tied to their learning conditions. For example, many graduate workers have to work second or third jobs in order to pay for food and housing in Corvallis. If grad workers were paid closer to the living wage, we would have more time and energy to lesson plan, be able to give more constructive feedback to students, and more!

Am I required to submit my hours? Heather Horn keeps saying that GTA/GRAs are required to report any hours of their labor they are withholding due to a strike.

No. There are no laws that require individual workers to report that they are on strike. You are not required to report your hours to your supervisor or through the link that Heather Horn keeps sending. OSU even said this before the University’s FAQ page was changed, on November 13th. OSU’s change in language is a clear intimidation tactic to scare workers into complying. You do not have to do HR’s job for them by reporting struck hours!

 

My faculty/supervisor is being told that they are required to report who is and is not striking. What should I tell them?

OSU administration wants faculty to do their dirty work! CGE members are participating in lawful, protected strike activities. Any attempt on OSU’s part to increase supervisor reporting requirements should be interpreted as intimidation, a change in faculty job duties, and could be a violation of ORS 243.672. UAOSU, our sibling union who represents some faculty at OSU, is still actively bargaining. This request from administration is trying to disrupt the strong bonds that many of us, as graduate workers/students, have with our faculty.

Due to this same legal statute—before the beginning of the strike—some faculty were instructed, by administrators, to not discuss any sort of union activity with graduate students. This is a misreading of the legal statute that supervisors/bosses cannot intimidate or retaliate against workers for union activity. Similar to the response regarding workers reporting hours, this change in language is likely an intimidation tactic to scare workers from participating in a strike.

• • • If this faculty member is supportive, try having a conversation with them! Faculty often have protections that we do not—like tenure—so they can support us in ways that other graduate workers can’t.

My department is hiring replacement workers (sometimes called “scabs”). What do I do?

Let us know! We are trying to track which courses and departments are hiring replacement workers. Also, talk to your fellow workers and your department steward and organize! Similar to what SWLF graduate students put together on our instagram, you can come up with ways to put pressure on your department/program to bring attention to and block scabs. Some examples include, showing up to your classroom to see if someone else is teaching your class, flooding the emails and calls of your school administrator, etc.

Why is our bargaining team continuing to negotiate with OSU by dropping our salary proposals from 50% in the Last, Best, and Final offer?

Our bargaining team is doing everything they can to push OSU towards our ask while also engaging in good faith. “Good faith” here is a legal requirement in collective bargaining that requires both OSU’s and our bargaining teams to actively continue to try to reach an agreement. For example, if OSU makes some concessions to try to meet our demands, we then have to respond with some concessions to try to come to a middle ground. Additionally, our bargaining team’s negotiation power is directly tied to our visibility and maintaining a steady and visible strike. If we have a strong strike, our bargaining team is able to make smaller concessions and push OSU farther.

 

*This is only in the case that the strike is authorized and scheduled. See questions 2 and 3 for the difference between a strike and an authorization vote.