On March 17, the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation came together alongside other local unions outside Johnson Hall to kickstart their bargaining cycle with UO for the 2023-24 year.
From Johnson Hall, GTFF members marched to McKenzie hall for their first bargaining session.
According to GTFF’s presentation during the session, the union plans to bargain for better health and wellbeing services for graduate employees, improving professional working conditions and strengthing sexual harassment protections.
The current contract for GTFF and the UO expires on June 15. The new bargaining cycle will begin next term, according to the GTFF website.
“As unionized graduate employees, we have the ability to go into contract negotiations every three or so years with the university as workers to improve the conditions under which we labor,” Kisa Clark, president of GTFF said.
Ashton Pressman, an organizer from the University of Oregon Student Workers Union, said UOSW and GTFF face many of the same barriers from UO administration.
“Our work is often disregarded as not actual work, and we are seen as not actual workers. But then the results of our work are used to promote on-campus jobs as convenient and accessible ways to make money while also being able to get a good education,” he said.
The working conditions of workers across campus are worsening as the enrollment continues to increase yearly UO, Pressman said.
“By fighting for better working conditions, we are fighting for the learning conditions of ourselves and our students,” Clark said.
Organizers within the union have been conducting research regarding the living and working conditions in the Eugene/Springfield area in relation to the priority of better salaries and working conditions, according to their website.
“No GE is paid a living wage, and dozens are under the federal poverty line,” Cy Abbott, GTFF’s vice president for grievances, said.
According to its presentation during the session, GTFF is bargaining for maintaining a 95% premium contribution for individuals and dependents and maintaining administrative control of the insurance plan under the GTFF Health and Welfare Trust.
“For international GEs without citizenship, and for GEs with family members, the effects of economic insecurity are worsened,” GTFF Vice President of External Relations Emily Beatty said.
Beatty said providing security for GEs with the increased living standards in the area is a top priority for GTFF.
“Instead of providing the security needed to meet the demands of our degrees, the university underpays us, restricts funding for graduate programs and severely limits the availability of summer employment,” Beatty said.
The union will be having negotiation meetings with the university every other week, according to its website.
“We like doing our jobs and working with students and like being public sector employees because it allows us to realize the valuable social good of education to our society,” Clark said.
