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@cge6069.org.

  • Complete the Survey of Graduate Workers' Issues: Please respond to this fully anonymous survey 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. There are also public meetings and lots of other ways to get involved at Health Care for All Oregon!
  • 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@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@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@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.

  • On campus resources:

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@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@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@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@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