7/31/18 Executive Council Meeting Minutes - Coalition of Graduate Employees AFT 6069

EC Meeting Minutes 7/31/18

Facilitator: Clint
Vibes Watcher: Azadeh
Time Keeper: Kali

Attendees: Kali Doten, Erin Abernethy, Azadeh Ghanizadeh, Emory Colvin (remotely), Clint Mattox, Jess Keune, Alex Riccio. Valerie Fraser (late arrival)

Meeting began: 5:09PM

Ice-Breaker: What are you currently reading?

Slack Approvals

AME on Longevity Committee

Approvals

EC Meeting Minutes 7/17/18

Continuing Business

Legal Response to Fair Share Letter: We received a letter from Tedesco law, it looks good, Erin signed and Alex mailed certified.

Staffing Discussion
- Jess modifying list of tasks and how to doc
- EC should read and understand how to do tasks – read next week, so we can help out during employment gap
- Temporary redistribution of organizer tasks during employment gap
  - Separate discussion needs to happen about specific tasks (using Jess’s doc)
    - Who wants to be involved in discussion? Alex will arrange a Whenisgood poll to set up a time for everyone to meet next week.
  - How long is acceptable for this employment gap?
    - When to start the hiring process (now or later)
Longevity Committee
- Response to email? None from membership.
- Formally decided to form the committee
- Decide committee membership (on Slack); have a letter of agreement that if Alex feels uncomfortable with the process due to being “outnumbered” (in the EC to staff ratio), he can request AFT-OR representation.

New Blue Cards: need to change and print new blue cards for new members asap.

Suggested language
- Commit for one year or once a term, and it renews automatically unless you say otherwise
- Give window of cancelation (before the 13th of the month)
- Order smaller supply of cards for the year
- Get a copy of GTFF’s new cards and look at their language.
- Postpone vote.

Translated materials: Got a quote from Day Translations of $495 for both Chinese and Arabic. Most other services seem the same, not sure if the quality is good from Day Translations.
- Can labor unions apply for grant funding to support this sort of request?
- Can we legally do fundraisers to get the money?
- Do we have any other leads?
  - Ask membership if anyone is able and willing to provide translations?
  - Consider making videos in various languages that cover CGE content.
    - What CGE is and why one should join
    - Post on website, use during office visits
    - OSU library allows folks to rent cameras and materials.
Steward Toolkit: Please review and comment on ways this toolkit can be improved for Stewards: https://tinyurl.com/y8xj2bcv
- Broad goal is to have a resource guide to help stewards handle grievances, organize events, host department meetings, etc.

Recommit Campaign: Erin talked with Mike at GTFF and got ideas for how to go about.

Rather than signing blue cards, have folks fill out the assessment survey.

That way we are not preemptively creating more work for ourselves or facilitating the exit of members.

Call it an assessment campaign, rather than recommit. It puts us in a positive, not a defensive attitude.
See New Business: Assessment Survey (below)

Anti-Union Messaging: We have a template we can use for an AME about the Freedom Foundation’s plans to canvas areas in Oregon encouraging folks to opt-out of their unions.

It was proposed that we create a specific “ask” to tie to this message, so that it doesn’t operate as something that just alarms members but shows that we are being proactive in our goals this year. We need to decide what our “ask” from members will be.

Could potentially be beginning of a “recommit” campaign, or our initiation of an assessment campaign. Could lead into our house visits (see below) should we decide to do them- maybe ask members to volunteer to do some house visits coming up?

Ed Ray Meeting:
- Confirmed Aug. 15 at 1pm Kerr 650

Grad Local Meetup:

Initiated by AFT, fill out this doodle poll if you want to attend (likely will take place in Corvallis): https://doodle.com/poll/27nm72chh7it96ag
- Purpose is to get all three Oregon grad locals together to have a discussion about specific needs grad locals experience, and how might we work better with AFT to have these needs met.
Mike at GTFF also suggested we do one without AFT

Joint Union Event: Faculty met on July 24, and the committee idea was well received. Three faculty folks have agreed to participate; Tony Vogt, Cora Boradaille, and Cathy Dark. Who from our EC would like to participate in this committee?

Clint is interested; Kali is interested and will ask for interest from stewards.
We should also recruit folks from our Steward Council and general membership.
Emory reached out to Chris Kulah from SEIU and will discuss this when they get back in town.

Confirmed Calendar (this can also be tabled for future EC meeting):

Steward Orientation Training:
- Sept. 6 12-8pm Westminster House
- Sept. 13 12-8pm Westminster House
  - We will likely have multiple blocks each day that we can train stewards.
Steward House/Office Visit Training (One-On-Ones)
- Sept. 20 12-7pm Westminster House
  - Likely have multiple blocks of training.
Fall BBQ
- Sept. 28 Lion’s Shelter
GMM
- Oct. 19 5:30-8pm Chintimini Senior Center (Friday only available night)
Movie Night
- Nov. 15 6pm Westminster House (Student Lounge)
SC Meetings:
- Oct. 4 5-7pm
- Nov. 8 5-7pm

Easier calendar to read:

Pre-term:
- (9/6 12-8pm) Steward Orientation Training (Westminster House)
- (9/13 12-8pm) Steward Orientation Training (Westminster House)
- (9/20 12-7pm) Steward Office Visit Training (Westminster House)
Week 1:
- (9/28 6-10pm) Fall BBQ
Week 2:
- (10/4 5-7pm) Steward Council Meeting
Week 3:
- Possible Trivia Night at Demaggio’s
Week 4:
- (10/19 5:30-8:00pm) GMM
Week 5:
- Possible Steward Retreat
Week 6:
- (11/1 5-7pm) Thirsty Thursday (Bombs Away)
Week 7:
- (11/8 5-7pm) Steward Council Meeting
Week 8:
- (11/15 6-8pm) Movie Night (WestM)

Working on Trivia Night at Demaggio’s (seems promising), still no dates for Solidarity Potlucks
CGE will have a trivia night at Demaggio’s on October 9th (do the promotion); if it’s a bust, Cloud will give CGE a discount on other professional trivia nights. Val noted that by October 9th, Demaggio’s should know whether or not the professional trivia nights are successful.

New Business

Bargaining: Need to have another meeting with OSU about removing fair share language from the contract before the new language is voted on.

This should be an uncontroversial meeting, but this would be a good time to adjust the language to reflect the current legality of fair share.

Alex is in communication with OSU regarding this process.

Assessment Survey: Folks should review and add to this potential survey we will be using to campaign for the upcoming year: https://goo.gl/forms/lbkL1cr09jeQ2y5j2

Some people own their own home so there needs to be an option for that.
The two questions, how much do you pay for housing and are you solely responsible for rent might confuse people.
“Are things broken or working properly? Does your landlord fix them promptly? Is it too small? Too loud? Etc.” Needs to be removed from under “Do you pay for child care”
Alex is having a conversation with Jess Foster regarding this survey tomorrow.

Membership Blitz (House Visits targeting non-members): There are over 800 GTA/GRAs in Corvallis this summer, and we have a 64% membership total among this population. It would be wise to organize a membership blitz focusing on non-member houses. This can realistically happen in the second & third week of August.

If we have the Assessment Survey ready by this point we’ll have enough to go to folks houses and get them engaged.
Kali can go in afternoons; Emory can help if this takes place later in August; Clint should be able to help.

Brew-off committee update
- >70% of survey respondents (58 ppl) wanted it on Halloween
- Committee has been supportive of spring date (before survey results); need to confirm this before moving forward.
Anti-bullying: Member brought concerns to Erin of advisor-student bullying.
- Erin’s action item to write language for an anti-bullying caucus in constitution.
- Having student (Ali) speak at Ed Ray meeting.

Measure 105: The student group Here to Stay has reached out asking if we have any folks willing to go to Salem to learn how to facilitate a forum on Measure 105, and then give a forum on Measure 105 in Corvallis.

Kali will ask the Stewards
Likely in August, more details pending.
Measure 105 would make it illegal for counties/cities in Oregon to designate themselves as sanctuary zones (likely this applies to universities too).
Our parent union, AFL-CIO, has already published statements opposing Measure 105.

Eugene Training July 28 debrief: postpone until next EC meeting.

Future Business – Not discussed in this meeting

Budget Committee: need to form a committee that regularly meets

Who wants to help organize?

Fall BBQ Recognition: We want to visit the idea of having CGE members “recognized” for appreciation that our VP Social Justice thought of at the end of the year.

Faculty Bargaining Discussion: Folks from the faculty union have asked if any CGE people involved in the recent round of bargaining (or other bargaining sessions) would be willing to attend their meeting on October 2 to discuss and share thoughts about bargaining as they move forward. Anyone willing?

Emory is interested; we should also consider recruiting Hazel to participate in this.

Steward Retreat: How do we feel about doing a single-day (afternoon) retreat at the Rotary Shelter in Willamette Park? The Shelter has electricity, grills, and water access so we could do a small picnic at the Shelter and host a retreat that focuses mainly on relationship building (since we’re doing separate trainings for orientations, one-on-ones, etc.)

Costs for a 4-hour block on a Saturday is $106, plus alcohol and sound would be grand total of $130 and then basic food costs (for roughly 30-40 people).
Date we’re looking at is Saturday, October 27. Could do either 1-4 or 6-10pm.
One activity we could do is having Stewards screen print their t-shirts since we would have access to a sink.
(Emory) I think this should be up to the stewards. If they’re interested, I’m all for it.

Invitation to Solidarity Picnic: Organizers of the Solidarity Fair do an annual picnic for folks just to get people together again and celebrate the year. This year it is August 12, 6pm at the Townsend Shelter and organizers wanted CGE to know they are invited to attend. Bring food if you can.

(Emory) I should actually be able to make this, but any food I can bring will be storebought, since I’ll just be getting back in town that day.

First Full EC Meeting: We should spend time at the beginning with each of us describing our officer roles to each other so that we are all on the same page and understand what is expected of each other.

I think we also need to go over group agreements about how we should operate in meetings and creating a culture of care, as well as have a longer discussion on why each person wanted to be in the EC, the direction they want CGE to go and their role in that direction as an EC member.
Can we set the date for this yet so we can prepare for all of this beforehand and also get through whatever else will be on the agenda?

Per-caps convention: Sept 29
- Need to decide if sending same delegates or election for fewer
- From AFT:
  - Locals may use the same delegates who were elected to the 2018 AFT-Oregon Convention for delegations to the Special Convention, provided that the local Executive Council approves.
  - Therefore locals do not need to conduct a separate election for delegations to the Special Convention.
  - If a local chooses to hold a new election for delegates, we will use the the member counts from the 2018 AFT-Oregon Convention in May.

Strategic Goals Materials: Erin will print poster at library (need final copy)

Screen Printing Shirts: Erin ordered supplies (using her money) for everything but shirts.

Organize files on computer

Meeting Adjourned: 7pm

Post Views: 978