November 2025 - CGE Newsletter

Impact bargaining update, keep ICE out of Newport, and more
by Serena Frazee 21 Nov '25

21 Nov '25

*Dear CGE Members and Community,* *Quick Little Reminders* - *Only a Few More Weeks to Complete the **Survey of Graduate Workers' Issues: *Please respond to this *fully anonymous* survey <https://forms.gle/yAVbrLA42Gi9QBBJ7> to communicate what is important to you! Responses will not be distributed outside of the CGE bargaining team members and other CGE leadership. Help us get a better understanding of grad workers' priorities and needs over time, to direct bargaining efforts and provide evidence of particular issues, which can help us build power at the bargaining table. - *Submit testimony for Health Care for All: *The state of Oregon is currently developing and assessing a state-wide universal health care program and looking for public comment. Universal health care would protect people from the experience we've had of our healthcare changing unexpectedly based on our employers financial choices. *You can submit testimony to the Universal Health Care Governance Board here <https://www.oregon.gov/uhpgb/Pages/public-comment.aspx>*. There are also public meetings and lots of other ways to get involved at Health Care for All Oregon <https://www.hcao.org/take-action>! - *Cigna registration**: *Reminder that this registration is only to receive your digital insurance card— *regardless of registration grads are covered by Cigna as of October 1st*. However, if you run into issues with registration please bring this to the attention of Grad Health at 541-737-7568 or gradhealth(a)oregonstate.edu, they should be able to help. - *Bargaining Committee (meets Mondays 2-4pm @WestM):* *Like everything else CGE does, the impact bargaining team is made up of members - that’s you! *If you are interested in learning more about or even joining the Bargaining Committee please email vp_bargaining(a)cge6069.org with a non-OSU email indicating your interest. Anyone can attend bargaining committee meetings, even if you are not a member of the team. *We are especially interested in making sure that we have representation from masters students, international students, humanities students, queer students, students of color, and any other group of students who face challenges that can be addressed through contract negotiations.* No prior experience in research/negotiations is expected or required! Announcements - *Impact Bargaining Update* Our bargaining team began Tuesday's session by presenting health insurance change impacts as aggregated data. We explained our current assessment of how many grads were affected by the change in carriers, informed by member emails to the healthcare(a)cge6069.org email. Some of the data we presented includes: - 47 GEs have reported increased health care costs as a result of this change. - Per session impacts for mental health care for previously in-network and now out-of-network care ranged from $40 to $162. Most grads expressed anxiety in finding a new health care provider and/or therapist, and many will likely remain with their out-of-network therapists. Assuming a twice-monthly session rate, these 35 grads will experience yearly impacts from $33,600 to $136,100 per year. - Aside from these known financial impacts, 12 graduates communicated loss of care, 5 communicated delay of care, and 3 communicated loss of prescription coverage, with financial consequences that are currently unknown to us. *(Note: If we are underreporting data to OSU, we need you to write in to improve our assessment. Please report any and all impacts to your union, and check in on your coworkers and ask them to do the same.)* This reasoning accounts for both our proposed changes to the structure of the Health Insurance Advisory Council and the OSU-run Hardship Fund, which we presented at the previous session. OSU responded to our report with a lengthy statement that implicitly justified why they did not bring counter-proposals to Tuesday's session. *While they reiterated that they are willing to work with CGE to find solutions to the problems we posed, they are resistant to doing so via contract language, and were unwilling to refer to the impacts we presented as such.* Instead, Emily Farrell, OSU's lead negotiator, used phrases like "felt effects" and "felt experiences." Our bargaining team made many attempts to refocus the conversation to find real solutions to the problems our members are experiencing. Although we passed our proposals 2 weeks ago and we had a 4 hour sessions scheduled to discuss these issues, OSU's team stated that they need additional time to consider our proposals. We hope to see a substantive response at the next session on December 2nd at 3 PM. However, it is still possible that OSU's response will not take the form of enforceable contract language. Help us show OSU's bargaining team that we care about these impacts by attending the next session, by talking to your coworkers to increase our knowledge of impacts, and having conversations with your fellow workers about the importance of membership. *Everything we do as a collective to show that we are united increases OSU's motivation to treat us with the respect and dignity we deserve.* The next bargaining session is December 2nd at 3 PM in Cascade Hall, room 141. - *Keep ICE out of Newport!* A new ICE facility in Newport could be built, despite local push-back. Please use the attached letter template to contact your representatives so that we can help keep ICE out of Newport. The letter says it best: *"It is unthinkable that a detention camp filled with our community members, friends, and family would be located here. News about such camps include reports of overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and lack of food, water, or medical care. People have been unable to communicate with family or have access to legal counsel. There seems to be virtually no accountability for what goes on in these camps or for the way people are treated. There is no indication such a camp on the Oregon coast would operate any differently."* - *Solidarity with Striking Starbucks Workers* Over 1,000 Starbucks baristas in 40+ cities have been on strike for one week in response to dozens of Unfair Labor Practice complaints filed against the coffee chain. None of the Corvallis Starbucks locations are yet unionized, so there is not an active picket in our area. However, the union has called for a national boycott to increase the strike's leverage. Do not buy Starbucks while the boycott is ongoing! And go support a picket line if you can: https://www.oraflcio.org/strikemap. More information here: https://sbworkersunited.org/our-strike/. Upcoming Events - *Impact Bargaining Session, December 2nd at 3 PM in Cascade Hall, room 141.* Please come and show your support for the process and for grads who have been impacted by the health insurance change! *Committees and Caucuses that need your help* Grad workers are capable and passionate people who can together exercise great power. One of the ways we do that is through caucuses and committees. All meetings are at WestM unless otherwise stated. *International Caucus: *The CGE International Caucus is open to all graduate students regardless of CGE membership status and serves to represent the concerns of all international students at Oregon State University. The International Graduate Caucus recognizes that international graduate students attending OSU have unique needs and difficulties in comparison to US students. Reach out to president(a)cge6069.org. *Disability Justice and Mental Health Super Caucus: *This new super caucus is working on writing its charter. Open to all graduate students, regardless of current CGE membership status. Fridays, 11am on Zoom, reach out to vp_membership(a)cge6069.org. *Environmental Justice Caucus: *The CGE Environmental Justice Caucus works with the university and Corvallis communities to address the causes and consequences of the climate crisis and environmental destruction through equitable and just solutions. *Committee on Political Engagement (COPE)*: Plans and implements actions around wider political issues. COPE members channel collective power into concrete efforts to make a difference in local and state politics. Meets Fridays 10am. Email vp_politics(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Grievance Committee: *A great opportunity for people to learn more about the contract and how we defend it. Meets Thursdays 2pm. Email vp_grievances(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Pride Caucus:* Place for community, support, and action to safeguard the rights and affirm the identities of people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community at Oregon State University. Meeting Fridays, 3pm. In solidarity, Serena Frazee (she/her) VP for Communications, Coalition of Graduate Employees, AFT Local 6069 PhD Student in Integrative Biology, Oregon State University

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Come to impact bargaining next week, grad workers survey, and strikaversary!
by Serena Frazee 14 Nov '25

14 Nov '25

*Dear CGE Members and Community,* *Quick Little Reminders* - *Only a Few More Weeks to Complete the **Survey of Graduate Workers' Issues: *Please respond to this *fully anonymous* survey <https://forms.gle/yAVbrLA42Gi9QBBJ7> to communicate what is important to you! Responses will not be distributed outside of the CGE bargaining team members and other CGE leadership. Help us get a better understanding of grad workers' priorities and needs over time, to direct bargaining efforts and provide evidence of particular issues, which can help us build power at the bargaining table. - *Submit testimony for Health Care for All: *The state of Oregon is currently developing and assessing a state-wide universal health care program and looking for public comment. Universal health care would protect people from the experience we've had of our healthcare changing unexpectedly based on our employers financial choices. *You can submit testimony to the Universal Health Care Governance Board here <https://www.oregon.gov/uhpgb/Pages/public-comment.aspx>*. There are also public meetings and lots of other ways to get involved at Health Care for All Oregon <https://www.hcao.org/take-action>! - *Cigna registration**: *Reminder that this registration is only to receive your digital insurance card— *regardless of registration grads are covered by Cigna as of October 1st*. However, if you run into issues with registration please bring this to the attention of Grad Health at 541-737-7568 or gradhealth(a)oregonstate.edu, they should be able to help. - *Bargaining Committee (meets Mondays 2-4pm @WestM):* *Like everything else CGE does, the impact bargaining team is made up of members - that’s you! *If you are interested in learning more about or even joining the Bargaining Committee please email vp_bargaining(a)cge6069.org with a non-OSU email indicating your interest. Anyone can attend bargaining committee meetings, even if you are not a member of the team. *We are especially interested in making sure that we have representation from masters students, international students, humanities students, queer students, students of color, and any other group of students who face challenges that can be addressed through contract negotiations.* No prior experience in research/negotiations is expected or required! Announcements - *Come to Impact Bargaining Session Next Week!* Last session, OSU’s team proposed ground rules that would keep grads in the dark about the negotiations. This included closing bargaining to just those on the bargaining teams, banning taking notes of and sharing of direct quotes from the session, and restricting how we use social media to communicate with membership. *All grads have a right to know what is happening in negotiations that affect them.* Our bargaining team declined these ground rules, which means we will be bargaining without ground rules from now on. Fortunately, we do not need to agree to ground rules to continue negotiating about what is really important: the health and well-being of grads. *Next session, we want people to fill the room with support for bargaining and each other. *Grad workers are facing impacts from the health insurance change, including a significant loss of providers—especially mental health providers—and increasing medication costs. Bargaining is one of the most powerful tools we have to help, and coming to bargaining shows that we're paying attention and care. At the next bargaining session we expect OSU will have counter-proposals to the Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) we proposed last session. As a reminder, one of these sought to improve transparency around how the health insurance plan is administered, and to increase our role in administering the change. The second sought to add $150,000 to the OSU Hardship Fund to be used specifically by grads whose healthcare costs have increased as a result of the switch. Both our MOUs and OSU's proposed ground rules are attached. - *Strike Anniversary Reflection* Wednesday 11/12 was the one-year anniversary of CGE's strike. During the strike, hundreds of grads came together in support of each other and our right to a strong contract. It was inspiring, and personally made me proud of this community of caring and hardworking people. It was also tough: hours walking in all weather, throats raw from chanting, worries of the risks of lost paychecks or retaliation. We all had different experiences of this period, but we can all be proud of our sacrifices and the good that came of it. One of the major motivations for and wins of the strike was raising the minimum salary of OSU grads. Some grads paid at that minimum have shared what this raise means to them: *"This raise, while not a ton of extra money every month, is still enough that my bills get paid on time and I can focus on a) being the GTA my students deserve and b) producing the best scholarship possible. Were I living in today's economy on yesterday's salary, I'd have been utterly dependent on loans and struggling to make ends meet, which in turn would have negatively affected my wellbeing and my work. I'm grateful for the wins our collective efforts achieved last year on the picket line and at the bargaining table, and I hope we can sustain the momentum we've created for the sake of future grads."** -**Katie McKinney* *"Without the salary increase accomplished by last year's strike, I would most likely not be a part of this program. The salary increase assured me that I could move across the country and have adequate funds for rent. I was only able to apply to fully-funded grad programs, so this was central in my decision to join the MFA program." -**Madelyn Whelan* Thank you to everyone who withheld their labor or supported us during that time. [image: image.png] Upcoming Events - *Impact Bargaining Session, Tuesday 11/18, 10am-2pm, Cascade Hall, Room 139* Please come and show your support for the process and for grads who have been impacted by the health insurance change! *Committees and Caucuses that need your help* Grad workers are capable and passionate people who can together exercise great power. One of the ways we do that is through caucuses and committees. All meetings are at WestM unless otherwise stated. *International Caucus: *The CGE International Caucus is open to all graduate students regardless of CGE membership status and serves to represent the concerns of all international students at Oregon State University. The International Graduate Caucus recognizes that international graduate students attending OSU have unique needs and difficulties in comparison to US students. Reach out to president(a)cge6069.org. *Disability Justice and Mental Health Super Caucus: *This new super caucus is working on writing its charter. Open to all graduate students, regardless of current CGE membership status. Fridays, 11am on Zoom, reach out to vp_membership(a)cge6069.org. *Environmental Justice Caucus: *The CGE Environmental Justice Caucus works with the university and Corvallis communities to address the causes and consequences of the climate crisis and environmental destruction through equitable and just solutions. *Committee on Political Engagement (COPE)*: Plans and implements actions around wider political issues. COPE members channel collective power into concrete efforts to make a difference in local and state politics. Meets Fridays 10am. Email vp_politics(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Grievance Committee: *A great opportunity for people to learn more about the contract and how we defend it. Meets Thursdays 2pm. Email vp_grievances(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Pride Caucus:* Place for community, support, and action to safeguard the rights and affirm the identities of people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community at Oregon State University. Meeting Fridays, 3pm. In solidarity, Serena Frazee (she/her) VP for Communications, Coalition of Graduate Employees, AFT Local 6069 PhD Student in Integrative Biology, Oregon State University

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Impact bargaining updates, solidarity breakfast, local resources, and more
by Serena Frazee 07 Nov '25

07 Nov '25

*Dear CGE Members and Community,* *Quick Little Reminders* - *Finance Committee Meeting, Wednesday 11/12, 11am at WestM: *If you're interested in where your dues go and having a say in the finances of CGE then this meeting is for you! The Finance Committee is made up of members who come together to work on the CGE budget*. Come eat donuts and review some spreadsheets! *If you are interested but can't make the meeting, or have any questions please reach out to treasurer(a)cge6069.org. - *Complete the **Survey of Graduate Workers' Issues: *Please respond to this *fully anonymous* survey <https://forms.gle/yAVbrLA42Gi9QBBJ7> to communicate what is important to you! Responses will not be distributed outside of the CGE bargaining team members and other CGE leadership. Help us get a better understanding of grad workers' priorities and needs over time, to direct bargaining efforts and provide evidence of particular issues, which can help us build power at the bargaining table. - *Submit testimony for Health Care for All: *The state of Oregon is currently developing and assessing a state-wide universal health care program and looking for public comment. Universal health care would protect people from the experience we've had of our healthcare changing unexpectedly based on our employers financial choices. *You can submit testimony to the Universal Health Care Governance Board here <https://www.oregon.gov/uhpgb/Pages/public-comment.aspx>*. There are also public meetings and lots of other ways to get involved at Health Care for All Oregon <https://www.hcao.org/take-action>! - *Cigna registration**: *Reminder that this registration is only to receive your digital insurance card— *regardless of registration grads are covered by Cigna as of October 1st*. However, if you run into issues with registration please bring this to the attention of Grad Health at 541-737-7568 or gradhealth(a)oregonstate.edu, they should be able to help. - *Bargaining Committee (meets Mondays 2-4pm @WestM):* *Like everything else CGE does, the impact bargaining team is made up of members - that’s you! *If you are interested in learning more about or even joining the Bargaining Committee please email vp_bargaining(a)cge6069.org with a non-OSU email indicating your interest. Anyone can attend bargaining committee meetings, even if you are not a member of the team. *We are especially interested in making sure that we have representation from masters students, international students, humanities students, queer students, students of color, and any other group of students who face challenges that can be addressed through contract negotiations.* No prior experience in research/negotiations is expected or required! Announcements - *Impact Bargaining Update* Bargaining over the transition to Cigna has started. While our insurance plans with Cigna are very similar to what they were with PacificSource, as protected by our contract, this change has still impacted workers. Notably, 7% of previously covered providers utilized by grad employees will be out of network, with this loss disproportionately affecting access to mental health services. The number of in-network therapists and mental health providers went from 235 under PacificSource to 73 under Cigna. We found that many providers have chosen specifically not to work with Cigna due to poor reimbursement rates. The drastic decrease in our mental health coverage means that the remaining providers in our area that *do* take Cigna will be even more overloaded. We are also seeing impacts to our medication coverage. One GE said,“Several of my medications will be covered, but they require prior authorization now… I am really worried I will lose access to medication”. Multiple GEs have also reported that the costs for many of their medications are over 3 times more expensive under Cigna than they are under Pacific Source. We are working to mitigate these impacts through proposals at the bargaining table. Today's session began with OSU's team proposing ground rules including: limiting the size of CGE's bargaining team, limiting our ability to take full and comprehensive notes during the session, limiting our ability to communicate about what happened during the session, and preventing anyone other than the bargaining teams to observe the session. These rules would restrict how we conduct negotiations, and we felt they were limiting. We countered by striking all of these rules, and ended the session without coming to an agreement about ground rules. These are not required in order to negotiate the impacts of the health care switch. *CGE proposed two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) during negotiations.* The first sought to improve transparency around how the health insurance plan is administered, and to increase our role in administering the change to avoid many of the problems we've seen over the last few months. The second sought to add $150,000 to the OSU Hardship Fund to be used specifically by graduate employees whose healthcare costs have increased as a result of the switch. All of these proposals are attached to this email. Please reach out to solidarity(a)cge6069.org with any questions or concerns about the proposals. OSU did not counter CGE's proposals during the session. We expect to see their counter-proposals at the next session, which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 18th. We will confirm time and place when it is confirmed with OSU. In the meantime, we need your help. In response to OSU's attempt to shut general membership out of the bargaining process, we need a strong showing of support at the next bargaining session. *Mark your calendars, talk to your coworkers, and be ready to attend the next bargaining session on the 18th! * - *Local resources for food and basic needs* Many community members have been impacted by the current state of government funding cuts and shutdown. Please reach out to these organizations if you need help, and please consider supporting these organizations if you can. - South Corvallis Food <https://www.southcorvallisfoodbank.org/> Bank <https://www.southcorvallisfoodbank.org/> - Donations of diapers, food, and other household good accepted at Cordley Hall through 11/24 - Oregon Food Bank Finder <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Foregon.us…> for more resources - On campus resources: - Corvallis Campus Food Pantry and more at the Basic Needs Center: <https://basicneeds.oregonstate.edu/> Most Wednesdays, 8am–2pm (check @bncatosu on Instagram or call 541-737-9127 for updates) - OSU-Cascades Campus Food Pantry <https://osucascades.edu/ASCC/student-support-programs>: Mondays and Thursdays from 6pm to 10pm; Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm; and Wednesdays from 4pm to 10pm. - Hatfield Marine Science Center Food Pantry: <https://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/news/brand-new-guin-hatfields-food-pantry> Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m, in the Guin Library's kitchen Upcoming Events - Strike Anniversary: Solidarity Breakfast, Wednesday 11/12, 8:30-10:30am at WestM Last year, we took the historic step of going on strike in response to stagnation in bargaining. This was a time when hundreds of workers came together, and made a sacrifice in order to support each other. One year on, we want to come together again—this time for a celebration of everyone's hard work and willingness to stand together for a fair contract. Feel free to come and go as you please and enjoy breakfast and activities! - *Leadership Training, Thursday 11/13, 10-11am in WestM Student Lounge* Looking to build community and organizing power in your department? Then this training is for you! Come talk about how to identify potential leaders in your department and activate them to increase our capacity as a union. - *Impact Bargaining Session, Tuesday 11/18, time and place TBD!* *Committees and Caucuses that need your help* Grad workers are capable and passionate people who can together exercise great power. One of the ways we do that is through caucuses and committees. All meetings are at WestM unless otherwise stated. *International Caucus: *The CGE International Caucus is open to all graduate students regardless of CGE membership status and serves to represent the concerns of all international students at Oregon State University. The International Graduate Caucus recognizes that international graduate students attending OSU have unique needs and difficulties in comparison to US students. Reach out to president(a)cge6069.org. *Disability Justice and Mental Health Super Caucus: *This new super caucus is working on writing its charter. Open to all graduate students, regardless of current CGE membership status. Fridays, 11am on Zoom, reach out to vp_membership(a)cge6069.org. *Environmental Justice Caucus: *The CGE Environmental Justice Caucus works with the university and Corvallis communities to address the causes and consequences of the climate crisis and environmental destruction through equitable and just solutions. *Committee on Political Engagement (COPE)*: Plans and implements actions around wider political issues. COPE members channel collective power into concrete efforts to make a difference in local and state politics. Meets Fridays 10am. Email vp_politics(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Grievance Committee: *A great opportunity for people to learn more about the contract and how we defend it. Meets Thursdays 2pm. Email vp_grievances(a)cge6069.org for more information. *Pride Caucus:* Place for community, support, and action to safeguard the rights and affirm the identities of people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community at Oregon State University. Meeting Fridays, 3pm. In solidarity, Serena Frazee (she/her) VP for Communications, Coalition of Graduate Employees, AFT Local 6069 PhD Student in Integrative Biology, Oregon State University

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