3:31 p.m. This is the last bargaining session before the GTFF contract with the University expires. Though most policies remain in place after the contract is expired, this is still a very important meeting for both sides of the team. Still a good turnout even though a lot of GTFs are either working on grading or already out of town.
3:35 p.m. They are going to open up by finishing (TAing) a few articles. This includes items such as wireless access and late pay.
3:42 p.m. The University is neglecting the University's paid parental leave policies. They are asserting that GTFs are "first and foremost" students, and so should be satisfied with what they have. The University claims that the numbers that we provided them with are too uncertain and unpredictable, and that people who work our hours shouldn't have access to paid parental leave. The University wants to continue being an unsustainable place for GTF parents to work.
3:50 p.m. The University is also denying paid sick and injury leave. We need to stop making University spaces hostile to the human body, folks. GTFs get sick and injured just like any other essential employee at the University, and deserve time to care for themselves in order to do their job effectively and safely.
3:52 p.m. Our team lead, Amber: "I don't think we're looking for perfection, but we are looking for improvement."
3:52 p.m. When Amber asks why the University cannot cover paid leave, Fancy Lawyer asks Amber if she would like to see the University go bankrupt. The University continues to deflect from honest questions with sensational, misdirecting exclamations.
3:58 p.m. We are concerned about inconsistencies across leave policies, and how this creates an inequitable situation for many GTFs.
4:03 p.m. The University is continuing to push for temporary student loans instead of seeing the need for employers to pay their employees on time. GTFs are employees of the University, and it is the responsibility of the University to figure out how to pay their employees by the agreed-upon dates.
4:16 p.m. We are concerned about GTF confidentiality in cases where they are required to have counseling at UO, as undergraduate students use the same services and may be sitting in the same waiting room.
4:21 p.m. We are now discussing GTF fractional calculation sheets. This would make time expectations for GTFs clear so that we can reduce the rampant unpaid overtime hours that GTFs are often forced to work.
4:27 p.m. Fractional Calculation Sheets will help GTF supervisors as well, as they can be upfront and clear about how to manage their employees' time in relation to tasks such as researching articles or different types of grading. We think that transparency for GTFs and their supervisors will benefit both sides of our working arrangement.
4:44 p.m. After a long discussion about the benefits of fractional calculation sheets, we are now taking a caucus.
5:04 p.m. Caucus has ended. We are discussing wages now and the living wage gap. Increasing the wages of GTFs is not only the right thing to do, but also will make the University more competitive with recruiting grads.
5:11 p.m. We are also discussing our healthcare proposals.
5:17 p.m. We are discussing proposal costs. We are arguing that the University's wage model does not make UO competitive when recruiting graduate students, as prospective students have many institutions with far better benefits available to choose from. The ability to afford rent and groceries is a large part of prospective students' decisions.
5:20: We have been discussing Summer fees. Our CBA says that all GTFs should have their tuition and fees treated the same during Summer as during other times of the year, but the University revealed that it does not actually waive these fees for GTFs across the board. This is a very big development that has a lot of GTFs upset at the University's actions. They are saying that it is too late for us to grieve this, due to a "difference in interpretation."
5:24 p.m. UO is specifying that "We're not making money off of GTFs" when discussing costs. And yet, even ignoring such an offensive disposition, we teach 1/3 of the classes at UO. The University clearly sees us as a cheap force of labor, and yet they think they can distract away from our profitability when we ask for the wages and healthcare we need to live in Eugene and do our jobs. After all this time we also still haven't received clear money data from the University side of the table. As Fancy Lawyer says himself to our repeated requests, "I don't do math."
So it seems that here, on the eve of our expired contract, the University wants to continue milking GTFs for all they are worth (while simultaneously claiming we are worth nothing), and do so without providing clear data for their justifications. And this is the grim note that we're ending on.
5:29 p.m. Bargaining has concluded for the day. Thanks to the GTFF table team and to those who showed up for the Session!
5:42 p.m. Things may look grim at the table, but it is only in one room, and the University is much larger. What will decide the next few months will be the work that is done outside the table to show the University that we are serious about our proposals.
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