All University of Oregon graduate employees will receive a 1.97% increase in pay for the fall 2021 and winter 2022 terms, adding as much as $131 to their term paychecks. The union announced the news via its social media on Dec. 9, 2021.
The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation negotiated a clause in the collective bargaining agreement during the 2018-19 collective bargaining cycle, when unions work with UO to determine the terms of their employment. The clause states, “For any yearly premium increase less than 5%, for every dollar ($1.00) the University saves relative to a 5% premium increase, the total pool used to supplement GE minimum salary shall be permanently increased by fifty cents ($0.50).”
Essentially, if GTFF can negotiate with their health care provider and keep the yearly premium increase below 5%, half the money saved will go into GE’s minimum salary pool and distributed evenly.
In 2021, GTFF was able to negotiate the cost of GEs’ health care plans with Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and keep the yearly premium increase down to 0.5%. The difference between the 0.5% increase and what a 5% increase would have cost UO is approximately $440,000, meaning half of that, or $220,000, will be added to the minimum salary pool. Distributed, this $220,000 means each graduate employee will see an approximate 2% raise applied with each term’s pay, UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said in an email. This term’s pay increase, as well as a retroactive increase for fall term, were applied to graduate employee’s December paychecks, Hubbard said.
“As graduate employees, we make roughly on average $1,300 a month,” Mel Keller, GTFF president and graduate student in the political science department, said. “So a 2% raise is something that can really positively impact our members, particularly for folks who have children for folks who are worried about paying rent.”
Keller said the bargaining cycle was contentious and went to the verge of strike. “We’re just really happy that we were able to negotiate this for our members and for all the GEs of the University of Oregon to be able to kind of give money back that the university would be saving anyway,” Keller said.
According to UO’s division of graduate studies website, UO pays 95% of the insurance premium for graduate employees and their eligible dependents. Keller said UO sought to cut down health insurance costs, but GTFF wanted to ensure GEs maintained access to a high standard of care.
“We always strive to keep and maintain our really strong health insurance because it’s so important to our members,” Keller said. “Our goal whenever we are renegotiating health care is to make sure that our members still have access to all of the benefits, including things like mental health coverage that are particularly important to graduate students.”
Outside of the raise due to GTFF negotiation, GEs can receive increases in salary by climbing the ladder of GE levels. There are three levels, each having to do with the level of degree and how far along in the PhD process the GE is.
While this is the first time that a salary increase like this has been applied, Keller said it will have positive ramifications for the future. GEs’ minimum salaries are adjusted every year, and next year’s change will be calculated using this year’s higher salary. Additionally, the clause ensures that this type of bargaining will remain an option for GTFF.
“We are thrilled,” Keller said.