Category Archives: Uncategorized

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

“Long-term Solution” Means “No Solution for a Long Time”

This week in bargaining GEU heard PSU’s counters on re-appointment protections, union information rights, and GA health and wellness support: especially healthcare. While we are starting to see recognition from PSU admin that these areas are in an unacceptable state, their current proposals are too little and they will be too late to help GAs struggling now. 

Let’s talk healthcare: 

Last week, PSU declared that they are not interested in supporting grads by subsidizing the student health plan. They have also strongly resisted beginning any process that would move us toward our own employee plan. Now they have unveiled their alternative: a hypothetical “Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement.” In this arrangement, GAs would be given a fixed sum of money to put toward any ACA marketplace plan. Sounds pretty good, right? Well…

Caveats:

• It is unclear whether such a program would serve international GAs, and if not, then it is a complete non-starter. GEU stands with all of our GAs.
• A fixed sum is not a percentage! Inflating healthcare costs would render the benefit moot without constant struggle by GEU
• When we say hypothetical, we mean it. PSU has proposed another toothless task force to “investigate the possibility”, setting a timeline in which no such program would happen until 2024.

Our bargaining team is working hard to determine if there is a path forward on this proposal that will get GAs the assistance they need now, and continue that assistance for the long term – not begin in the long term! In the meantime, we stand by our proposal: subsidize the student health plan now, and move GAs onto an employee plan ASAP!

Either way, we need your continued support to force PSU to quit stalling and give GAs what we deserve.

What you can do!

We asked for signatures on our Open Letter to President Percy and you delivered! The Bargaining team was humbled by GAs support for our letter. But the letter is still open: sign it if you haven’t!

Do you have a department slack or discord that is consistently lacking in GEU rabble-rousing? GEU is working on expanding our communications network to better reach GAs, and we need volunteers who will relay our messages. Reach out to info@pdxgeu.org with any channel links. We’ll bring the PSU Admin memes! 

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

Admin’s Healthcare Anti-proposal

Hey GEU folks! It’s that time of the week where we share disappointing news from the university administration. You may recall that last week, GEU proposed combining a small emergency fund with healthcare subsidies, making it PSU’s turn to make a counter-proposal.

Well, we have no proposal from PSU this week. What we do have is their assurance that they are absolutely not willing to give healthcare subsidies to GAs. Whatever is in their next proposal, it will not be the most straightforward means of giving employees health benefits.

Every week they offer a fresh excuse, but the real reason is simple: they would rather placate us with one-off benefits that they can retract or hold hostage later. We will not be placated. As the Fall term approaches, we are ready to fight for healthcare!

Multi-year Contracts

PSU continues to resist granting GAs employment stability in the form of a right to be reappointed. But, they have made some movement by offering that departments can voluntarily offer appointments longer than one year. This is not enough for GAs in the many departments that will not offer such appointments, but it is a start; negotiations continue.

Next week

All of the remaining articles are in PSU court, we will hear their counters next week and continue to push for needed GA benefits and rights! 

What you can do

In the past month, you wrote letters to President Percy. If your experience was anything like ours, all you got was a lousy, copy and paste email – so, let’s get louder. Sign our open letter calling on PSU to give GAs the benefits we deserve: Open Letter to President Percy

In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more from the Contract Action Team about in-person actions around the start of the Fall term. We will show PSU that we will not quietly accept the status quo. Stay engaged, stay hopeful, and stay mad.

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

This week

PSU presented their counters to Articles 17 (Appointments) and 21 (Health and Wellbeing). While there was some movement towards consensus, PSU Admin seems to hold a fundamental misunderstanding about the circumstances of many GAs. 

As GAs well know the combination of rising prices and rent, a limited FTE, no affordable childcare, and health insurance costs that take a significant proportion of wages, result in a chronic state of emergency.  

Therefore, while the Bargaining Team does think an Emergency Fund would be helpful for struggling GAs, it does not address the baseline needs that many GAs face, chief among them, unaffordable health care costs.   

Next week

In short, the GEU Bargaining Team will continue to push for appointment protections, health insurance support, and union information rights. Discussion at the table is moving towards the bottom line: money. Is PSU too poor to support GA health insurance costs, or is that a convenient excuse? That remains to be seen as the Bargaining Team presses PSU Admin for their reasons for not contributing to GAs health insurance premiums.   

What you can do

The Contract Action Team is going to be reaching out to our bargaining unit to gauge interest in different types of actions starting next week. So, be on the lookout for us to give you a ring! 

Next, be sure to come to next Monday’s bargaining session from 11am-3pm, as we are making the case that GAs need immediate support, and waiting to hear PSU’s reasons for why it can’t be done.

Memes

An interesting aside, our memes seemed to have ruffled some feathers. The Bargaining Team wants to be clear that no personal offense was meant to any PSU administrator; however, when a joke strikes a nerve perhaps it’s time to reflect on why.

Truth Hurts

This Week

A tentative agreement on Article 9 (Discipline and Discharge) was reached between GEU and PSU pending final review and signatures! While it is always great to reach agreement and move things forward, we are far from done when it comes to healthcare and reappointment rights. 

This week, GEU presented our updated proposal on Articles 17 (Appointments) and 21 (Health and Wellbeing) which include more accountability for departments not offering GAs reappointment, subsidized health insurance for GAs, and a response to PSU’s proposal for yet another taskforce to tell us what we already know: GAs need affordable healthcare NOW.

Next Week

PSU will be bringing their counter proposals on Articles 17 and 21. Based on what we have seen so far, we are anticipating they will bring more “creative solutions” without much weight or meaningful impact for GAs who already struggle to maintain financial stability and afford healthcare.

What You Can Do!

First, take a break from hearing about PSU’s refusal to give GAs what they deserve and come hang out with the GEU bargaining team! Meet your fellow GEU members and enjoy free appetizers and free GEU swag on the back patio at Rogue Hall this Thursday from 4pm-7pm!

Thursday, August 4th

4pm-7pm

Rogue Hall

1717 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201

Next, be sure to come to next Monday’s bargaining session from 11am-3pm https://pdx.zoom.us/j/89575632910 and observe PSU’s latest proposals on healthcare and reappointment rights.

Think you’ll be impressed with what they have to offer? We don’t either, but showing up tells PSU that GAs are serious about getting the healthcare support we deserve!

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

How much does PSU value GAs?

Good news! We can finally put a number on how much a single GA’s needs are worth to PSU administration. By dividing their proposal of a $10,000 emergency relief fund – that’s right, you counted those zeros correctly– with the number of GAs, we can give a precise measure of how much your university cares about you. $18 per year…

Feel valued yet? Keep in mind that this offer is in lieu of any health benefits, any childcare support, or any support for DACA and international GAs. We would normally say something here to get you riled up, but as they say, a picture says a thousand words.

However, if you’d like to express your feelings on how $18 a year will cover your needs as a GA, we are continuing our letter writing campaign until the end of the 27th. The form to complete a letter is here: https://forms.gle/6iwa22MSxNgNF2RP9 

You can also send your own letter directly to info@pdxgeu.org. And of course, if you’d like to see the minor miracle of our bargaining team holding back our eye rolls, you can attend bargaining sessions at the link above!