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GEU’s FAQ – PSU Budget Cuts and Layoffs

Updated as of 11/12/2024

  • Wait what’s going on? Why are there layoffs?
    • So as of right now, the university is aiming to cut $18 million from our overall budget by next year, to match a projected deficit. Most of these cuts (about $12 million) are coming from academic units. Ninety-five PSU-AAUP employees (full-time non-tenured faculty) recently received notices that they’re eligible to be laid off. They’ll find out if they’re truly being laid off in mid December. 
    • Nothing is official yet, the colleges and departments are still (presumably) figuring out how they’ll adjust their programs to make these cuts happen. This is both deeply frustrating (because not knowing if you’re about to lose your job is stressful) and hopeful – not much is official yet, so we have the ability to weigh in and make sure our concerns are heard.  
  • What’s the difference between layoffs and non-renewals?
    • Unfortunately not much. If you’re within a current contract and they do layoffs, you are entitled to keep your tuition remission for the remainder of that term. For non-renewals, there’s no provision, but that’s also occurring between terms.
  • How do I know when my contract ends/if I’m eligible for non-renewal in December?
    • You can look at the notice of appointment you received at the start of term, or log in to your PSU employee dashboard (via banweb.pdx.edu ) and check out the most recent EPAF.* Both will have a date listed as the end of the contract period. Fall term ends Dec. 15; Spring term ends June 30th 2025. 
    • *Go to EPAF approver summary, click the history tab, then click your name in the most recent entry; the contract end date is towards the bottom.
  • When will I know if I’m being laid off/non-renewed?
    • For Winter 2025, the contract period starts 12/16/24 so you should hear by 12/1/24 if you’re laid off or 12/2/24 if you are being non-renewed for winter term.
    • Fall term, if you don’t usually have GA support in the summer, gets a bit messier. We’re figuring out specifics, for now you should know that the fall term contract period starts September 15th 2025; the latest they can tell you about a non-renewal would be September 1st 2025 for fall term. 
  • Who can I talk to in order to find out what’s happening?
    • Your department chair and other people in your department who manage graduate programs or teaching, like your graduate advisory council, are probably your best first stop. They’ll have information directly about teaching loads and assignments, if that information exists/is available. It’s probably not bad to go chat with your department chair or college deans about what’s going on, generally – the more they hear from us, the better. 
    • Otherwise, you can come to PSU’s Board of Trustees Meeting on November 21st, or reach out to Research and Graduate Studies. Again, let’s make sure this university is aware of our thoughts and feelings about these budget cuts, layoffs, and other austerity measures. 
  • Why is this happening?
    • PSU would say it’s because declining enrollment is causing budget shortfalls and forcing us to retrench. Considering they have a hoard of $176 million over at the PSU Foundation, which grew by about $37 million in the past 5 years, this seems like a convenient excuse for increasing adjunctification of our university, but what do we know, we’re only studying for advanced degrees and teaching classes and conducting research here. 
  • My offer letter from PSU said I’d be supported for X amount of time but it looks like my department is getting cuts. What are my options?
    • This is a bit more complicated. GEU is currently looking into what we can do to help support members in this breach of contract; if you are facing this issue, talk to your department chair and reach out to us if you need further support.
  • Is there anything I can do to help?
    • Yes and no. We can lobby our departments, colleges, and the general administration, but unfortunately a lot of decisions about how many GA lines will continue to exist and be distributed throughout the school aren’t things we have control over.
    • We can organize, and make sure our current economic negotiations and the contract negotiations starting March 30, 2026 have the support from us they need. In order to have a credible strike threat that forces administration to meet our demands, we need at least 51% membership; we’re not there yet.  
    • You can help fight for these things by getting involved with the GEU organizing committee, talking to your labmates and coworkers about joining GEU, working as union steward for your department… there’s a lot. If you’re already in GEU, you can join our slack channel to hear about more opportunities to get involved and hear first about upcoming events. We need to show the administration that we are a vital community within PSU and they can’t push us around. 

GEU Solidarity Social

Click here for a Google Calendar invitation

GEU is hiring a 0.3 FTE Administrative Assistant

  • Administrative Assistant, Graduate Employees Union
  • Position Title:  Administrative Assistant
  • Reports to: Executive Board, Graduate Employees Union, AFT/AAUP Local 6666 
  • Location: Portland, OR (hybrid)
  • Salary Range: $25-27/hour, up to 12.5 hours/week. This is a grant-funded position.
  • Posting Date: April 15, 2024
  • Application Deadline:  April 30, 2024
  • Anticipated Start Date:  June 3, 2024 (flexible). This is a temporary, part-time position through June 2025, with possibility of extension.

Graduate Employees Union (GEU, AFT/AAUP Local 6666) is a labor union of graduate employees at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. We won our first contract in 2018, and we represent nearly 500 graduate employees, including graduate teaching assistants, graduate research assistants, and graduate administrative assistants. GEU is led by an elected executive board of graduate employees.

Job Summary:  

The Administrative Assistant uses their knowledge and expertise to enhance operations by providing general administrative support to the Executive Board. The Administrative Assistant must demonstrate strong communication, organizational, and time management skills. This position will work remotely 80% of the time, and on site 20% of the time.

This position will be supervised by the VP of Operations.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Duties are dependent on filled officer positions (elected annually). General tasks include:

  • Assist VP of Operations, VP of Membership, and VP of Organizing with management of the member and potential member database, and producing member lists
  • Assist VP of Operations with processing monthly shared information reports from PSU administration
  • Assist VP of Communications with generating email lists and union literature production tasks
  • Assist VP of Organizing and VP of Membership with logistics and coordination of New Employee Orientation, and other organizing events
  • Assist VP of Social Engagement with logistics and coordination of General Member Meetings
  • Manage GEU’s shared office space, e.g., check mailboxes, file membership cards, maintain office supply inventory and order supplies
  • Monitor the general email and phone accounts, and direct emails and calls to the appropriate VP for reply
  • Other duties as assigned

Key Qualifications and Transferable Skills: 

  • HS/GED diploma OR any combination of life/professional experiences that provide requisite skills
  • Data entry experience
  • Commitment to labor/progressive movements
  • Clear written and spoken communication style
  • Knowledge of basic software suites (e.g. Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace)

Other Useful Qualifications: 

  • Experience using and managing databases
  • Experience working in a non-profit setting
  • Experience working within/navigating academic institutions, particularly Portland State University
  • Familiarity with higher education and graduate employee labor issues
  • Familiarity with ActionNetwork, Hustle, Canva, and AirTable

To apply:

Please submit a resume and cover letter to info@pdxgeu.org by April 30, 2024, 5pm PT. GEU plans to begin scheduling interviews after May 7, 2024. 

Membership Bargaining Update: 9/27/2022

Bargaining Weekly on Mondays 11 am – 3 pm: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/89575632910

A Successful Rally – Many Thanks to Our Labor Allies!

Last Tuesday we rallied for healthcare. Two shifts of roughly fifteen GEU members and labor allies marched from the park blocks to the administration building on 4th, and made our voices heard.

It was a great showcase of community solidarity. We had support from:

Portland Jobs with Justice

Portland DSA

All three other PSU unions: PSUFA, SEIU, and AAUP

Our parent union, AFT Oregon, and our sibling at OSU, CGE

This support means so much for so many reasons, but one that stood out is: the reminder that what we are fighting for is normal. However hard the administration works to pretend that affordable healthcare is unreasonable, “inequitable,” impossible – it isn’t. To the world outside of their bubble, it is something that we deserve so obviously that its lack is an injustice, and further denial is cruelty. Remember that perspective as we continue bargaining. You deserve this.

Next Session

Show your support when we reconvene for bargaining Monday,

10/3 at 11 am – 3 pm: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/89575632910

New Term, New Members?

The start of the new term is a crucial time for GEU’s organizing. The influx of new GAs is an important opportunity to grow our strength – and the graduation of many members in the preceding spring will leave us shorthanded if we don’t make up for it! Keeping those numbers up is crucial for strength at the table. If you’d never joined before, now is the time – and check on your friends! We’re all in this together. The online membership form is here!

Membership Bargaining Update: 9/13/22

Another One?

That’s right, folks. Following our special Friday session, yesterday was our normally scheduled bargaining session. PSU responded to our proposal on appointment rights by mostly reverting back to their previous offer, dashing hopes of a quick resolution. The GEU team is still working on the next iteration of our healthcare proposal. Stay tuned! There will be another special session, date TBD, and no regular session next Monday.

Rally for Healthcare! 

But on Tuesday, September 20th, it’s our Rally for Healthcare (meeting outside Smith Memorial Student Union, park side, at 2:00 and 3:30)! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/graduate-employees-union-rally-for-healthcare-at-portland-state-university-tickets-413010143457 

We’ve already seen a wonderful response to the event! But we are looking for volunteers to get loud as picket captains. Picket captains work in shifts leading the group in chants as well as physically, and answer the questions of curious passers-by. Feeling mad about healthcare? Want to yell about it? Email the Contract Action Team lead at sean.noble.anderson@gmail.com, or ping the #cat channel on GEU slack.

And leading up to the Rally, we are having a Sign Making Social Event on Wednesday the 14th from 10am – 2pm in the GEU office, B134. Come have a snack and make a sign!