[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article erroneously described a GTFF contract salary increase as 1.5%. This is incorrect. The most recent negotiated cumulative raise increase is 18 to 45% over a period of 3 years. Additionally, the article mischaracterized statements made by Leslie Selcer, the GTFF President, regarding GTFF members’ approval of the updated contract with UO. The article has been updated to reflect these changes. The Emerald regrets these errors.]
Within the past six months, the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation at UO has negotiated and won a contract all without having to strike.
Out of the members who voted, 95% voted in approval of the contract with UO. The remaining 5% were in favor of striking in hopes that a better contract would follow.
Despite this success, the union says its efforts are not finished. Álvaro Del Pozo, a graduate educator in the School of Journalism & Communication, said that there’s still work to be done.
“We already have plans for what’s going to happen [in March] because we got the contract with the university,” Del Pozo said. “Now each GE department team — each GTFF subdivision — now we have to start negotiating with each of our schools and departments so that we can change the internal, general duties and responsibilities.”
Leslie Selcer, the GTFF President, acknowledged the work that other members of the union have accomplished.
“We really tried to divide the labor amongst us, and we really tried to decentralize power. We wanted to make the president’s role less central so that other people could step up and share the weight equally so that we all have equal power,” Selcer said.
“We often say in GTFF ‘We don’t win contracts at the table, we win it with our members.’ It’s about creating a situation where it would be more expensive for the employer to say ‘no’ than it is for the employer to say ‘yes,’” Selcer said. “That’s what we really mean about building worker power.”
Selcer, who was elected in spring 2023, is hopeful about the future of graduate employees at the UO following the work her fellow GTFF members put in during the bargaining process.
Logan Kazarian, a fourth-year undergraduate student studying biochemistry, has seen the struggle that GEs have gone through during her time at UO.
“I think we need to make being a GE, or even an undergraduate researcher, more accessible,” Kazarian said. “The pay is so low that you couldn’t support yourself even if you wanted to do it, so making that more accessible for people who can’t afford to just do an essentially low-paying internship.”
Following the bargain made with the university, the average pay will be increased between 18% and 45% overall during a three-year period. These raises will be dependent on GE level and current salary rate. According to the bargain, the average nine- month annual base rate for GEs was raised to $46,828. The monthly salary was raised to $5,203.11. However, salaries for GEs are dependent on Full-Time Equivalency. The maximum FTE falls at 215 hours per quarter, translating to approximately 21 hours per week.
Looking back at the contract, some members were still not entirely satisfied with the results according to Selcer. Across all programs, there is a difference in pay due to the needs of the program and of graduate educators themselves. Following the contract, higher-paid GEs — especially those in STEM programs — did not receive the same salary increase as GEs whose programs do not receive the same level of funding. While some GTFF members were unsatisfied with the final result of bargaining negotiations, but 95% of members voiced their approval and the contract was designed to be equitable for all members to ensure a living wage.
Both Selcer and Del Pozo said that in the coming years there is still work to be done, as the needs of graduate educators will change with time.
Selcer added that across all departments, GEs are worried about the future of their programs and what those departments need. Depending on whether UO is willing to meet those needs, GTFF is not afraid to make sure that every member of the union is heard.
“I think we’re really concerned to make sure that, especially that supervisors and people in positions of power over GEs, really understand what’s in the contract,” Selcer said. “The contract is settled, and I don’t think they’re looking to continue fighting with us for the most part.”
