EC Meeting 8.21.2014
9:30AM
Ambrowiak (not late!), Andrews, Osterloh, Morrill, Bromley, Hatlen, Jennings (for bargaining update).
Email Decisions We approved all member emails re: bargaining and re: reaching tentative agreement. We approved swag decisions and final mock-up.
Minutes Minutes from 8-12-2014 Meeting approved.
Bargaining Update We TAed! We got so, so many nice comments via email, text, and Facebook. We’ll plan on opening the ratification vote on October 3 to overlap with the Open House. We’re so very excited about this contract!
Auditor Update Drew hadn’t been able to find a number for Byers that was in service since the merger. We think we found a good one. Drew will call and try to set up a meeting for next week or after Ashley returns. Update: Drew called him. He’s up for anytime in the first 2 weeks of September. We’ll aim for Wednesday, September 3.
AFT-Oregon Grad Political Action Meeting The meeting went well. Shannon liked Shannon Brett as a facilitator for the conversation. While they waited for Shannon B., they got a good update from the GTFF on their bargaining. They’re stuck on health insurance because UO wants to push almost all the cost of health insurance rate increases onto GTFs (all but 5% over 2 years, when a typical year goes up 5-10%). They’re also stuck on minimum salary because UO was only intended to raise the tier 1 salary, not all the tiers. The process is in a bit of upheaval a little because of the sudden departure of UO president. To get a graduate employee spot on the institutional boards, we need to do the pre-session filing by September 22. It’s easier to get started in the House, so we’re seeking out Reps. Buckley and Hoyle to introduce the legislation. AFT-OR would like us to start building a relationship with Gelser too, so we have on option in the Senate after she’s (hopefully) elected there. We *might* want to do a pre-session filing in both the House and Senate to see which language we prefer. Being supportive of Gelser is a way to maybe build that relationship. We’re planning meetings with Hoyle & Buckley in the second week of September. We have pre-session filings from last year that we can resubmit and hopefully expect language from the House/Senate in December or January. Legislative Days December 8-10. AFT-OR would like to see us there. We may try to meet up with the GTFF at President’s Conference in November.
Kitzhaber Interview Debrief Interview went really well. He didn’t apologize for PERS decision because it was part of “budget reality”. But—of course—he really supports the unions. Shannon asked him about recreational marijuana, which he says he has no problem with, but he doesn’t think it’s the right time. There was a lot of conversation about education policy and his desire to have “outcome based” funding, which scares a lot of educators because the focus has been on access in the past. He wasn’t very firm on creating a grad seat on the boards, but said if a bill made it in front of him, he’d sign it.
Tuition Waiver Issues Update Dave Blake & Viki Dimick said there’s been no change in policy on tuition remission, though that doesn’t necessarily mean the policy isn’t being enforced differently. We’ll have a meeting hopefully next week with Dave, Sherm Bloomer, and Glenn Ford to get to the bottom of it. Shannon will follow up to schedule meeting.
All Member Email Kris put together info on asbestos floor tiles to be edited and sent out. Ashley will draft Welcome Back BBQ & rideshares info pieces and circulate the full body of the email. We’ll aim to send it out Monday or Tuesday.
Grad School Orientation Session We redrafted our proposal. Now we’ll be presenting a session entitled Coalition of Graduate Employees: Contract, Community, & Care.
Orientation Lit First orientation is September 2, so we need lit by then. Gloria will get together with Casey to verify social calendar, and then we’ll get that piece put together too. People who start in the middle of the year don’t have the same resources. This is something we want to talk to Brenda about today.
Office Space Ashley talked to Tim. He’s going to think everything over and get back to us the first week of September about office space.
Swag! Ashley will ask NWGI about chalkboard or wet/dry erase for the sign, then look into ordering. We decided on a two-sided black flag with the full logo on the front and a white pencil fist on the back. Ashley will check in on the pole and stand options and then order from Element Graphics.
AFT-OR Political Organizers We want to post that AFT-OR is hiring temporary political organizers to canvass around election time.
Lunch with Brenda We want to cover: info access for people who start mid-term; tuition remission issues; grad lounge, joint events with the graduate school.