The UO and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) bargaining teams will resume negotiations on the 2014-2016 contract Aug. 21 with the assistance of a mediator from the Employment Relations Board.
According to Andy Berglund, interim dean of the Graduate School, “A lot of progress has been made during the bargaining sessions held at least twice a month from November through June. However, differences remain over salary, paid leave and health care cost-sharing.”
GTFs are an important and valued group of students and employees at the UO. In return for their contributions in classrooms and laboratories, they receive 100 percent tuition waivers for educational opportunities that, by comparison, cost most other graduate students at the UO more than $5,000 per term. In addition, they receive the most generous healthcare benefits package of any group of employees at the UO, including the state-managed PEBB plan that is available to the majority of UO employees and dependents.
Last year, the nine-month total compensation for a .49 FTE fellowship for graduate students was worth a minimum of $39,211. This part-time job enables GTFs to focus on education with flexibility for individuals with partners and/or children.
An important topic to be discussed in bargaining will be parental leave. The GTFF is requesting paid leave; however, no other academic employee group that works less than .5 FTE receives paid leave. Agreeing to this benefit would result in a significant inequity between benefits received by the GTFF and other employees.
Currently, GTFs are eligible for a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for an ailing spouse or close relative, or if the GTF has a serious health condition.
Berglund also points out that should a GTF need to be away for as long as five days due to illness, bereavement or accident, departments have the flexibility to address coverage without a loss of pay to the GTF. The university has proposed contract language to standardize the department’s processes.
Also, the UO is one of only three comparator universities that subsidizes the costs of healthcare premiums for GTFs’ dependents.
“These commitments demonstrate that the university is attentive to the flexibility needed by GTFs and their dependents, which makes the UO a special place to work and study,” said Berglund.
Interim President Scott Coltrane, a sociologist who studies fathers and their roles in families, has been a strong supporter of parental leave and flexibility in the workforce.
The existing UO benefits are in alignment with his expert opinion that has been featured recently by NPR.
“My research has looked globally at the differences between the U.S. and European countries, and the parental advantages over the long term of taking time that is allowed by law and by employers,” said Coltrane. “All employees at the UO should have flexibility to do what is right for their families, and I believe the institution is offering fair and equitable opportunities for the current financial situation.”
In the current GTFF negotiations, the university is offering salary increases and holding current levels on fees.
Responsive to concerns about student debt, the university’s latest proposal was able to utilize previously unanticipated insurance premium savings to boost minimum salaries for Level 1 GTFs by 12.2 percent over two years. Level 2 and 3 GTFs would receive a 6 percent increase over two years. The proposed salary increases total more than $800,000 for the contract term.
The goal for mediated bargaining is for a fair and equitable agreement to be settled before Fall term begins.
—By Julie Brown, Public Affairs Communications