Contract negotiations between the University and Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation had been going nowhere for months. Both sides seemed too far apart on the issues – health care, fees, salaries and benefits – to reconcile their differences in time to hammer out a contract for the 2008-2010 biennium.
But a meeting on April 21 changed all that. At that meeting Linda King, representing the University, told GTFF lead negotiator David Cecil they would be willing to make a compromise on some of their demands. The GTFF listened to the concessions and responded with some of their own. And after months of steadfast bargaining on both sides, a tentative contract agreement was finally reached last Friday.
As recently as a month ago, it seemed that frustrations would culminate in a full-scale walkout by GTFs. The largest point of disagreement came over health care plans. PacificSource, a health planning company out of Eugene, currently covers GTFs’ medical needs. But as it stands, the benefit package provided by the University only covers care up to $100,000.
When the GTFF met with the University in November, its first demand was an increase in that annual figure. The University balked, and negotiations seemed doomed – until the April 21 meeting. Now, GTFs will be given a $250,000 annual increase to deal with the rising costs of health care. That’s a lot of extra money, but is necessary under our current health care system, where major medical procedures often reach six figures, and cripple the financial stability of anyone unfortunate enough to get seriously ill. Whether the costs of health care should be lowered is a separate argument. GTFs deserve adequate coverage.
Another concession on the part of the University was to reduce the amount of student fees that GTFs must pay. Although we hope the University will eventually completely eliminate those fees, the reduction is a good first step and is a departure from the University’s previous stance.
The entire University community will benefit from these successful negotiations. GTFs secured adequate coverage and a reduction in fees. The University retained their services through 2010. And in the process, administrators demonstrated to students, faculty and staff alike their willingness to listen and make short-term sacrifices for our long-term welfare.