Dear CGE Members and Community,


Quick Little Reminders
  • 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

CGE and OSU met for over 2 hours on Monday to discuss the impacts of the health insurance carrier change. While we had hoped OSU would come prepared with counter proposals to the two memoranda of understanding (MOU) we had passed in early November, OSU once again did not. However, they did come with some information that is important for you all to understand, particularly with regard to access to mental health care professionals:

When OSU negotiated their contract with Cigna, they were able to get a higher reimbursement rate for mental/behavioral health providers than Cigna ordinarily provides. Whereas Cigna usually reimburses these providers at 110% of the Medicare rate, they will reimburse providers for our health plan at 200%. This means two things: your out-of-network therapy charges are likely still higher than they would have been under the old plan, but likely less than your provider initially imagined before the rollout. It also means that if your provider was resistant to working with Cigna in any capacity (either as an in-network provider or as an out-of-network provider), it is possible that they were not aware of this specific arrangement. If your health care providers that you see regularly are still out-of-network, we encourage you to reach out and ask them to verify the details of the cost of your visit so that you can make your decisions with all of the information. If you continue to have difficulties with access to healthcare, email healthcare@cge6069.org.

Regarding our contract language, OSU reiterated at the table that they were not willing to expand their contractual obligations regarding the Health Insurance Advisory Council. As a reminder, our proposals included language around mandatory meetings and transparency of information. They were willing to continue to meet to discuss data about plan usage from Cigna with our bargaining team into Winter term, which will allow us to continue to manage the plan (and any difficulties you encounter) as well as try to apply pressure at the bargaining table. This willingness is promising, but not guaranteed without contract language behind it. As with regular bargaining, our power at the table is limited by our organizing on the ground: we need to demonstrate a united collective in order to motivate OSU toward enforceable contract language. This is especially true as our legal rights are weaker under impact bargaining: our power comes from you.

OSU indicated some willingness to work together to understand the extent to which GEs can apply to the OSU Hardship Fund for medical expenses resulting from the switch. We hope to hear more about this at the next meeting.

Finally, OSU is planning a joint presentation with graduate employees, OSU administrators, and Cigna reps to review how the plan administration is being handled at present. We do not yet have the details of this presentation, and will send them along as soon as we are able. In the meantime, we want to communicate that if you continue to have concerns about your health insurance that has not been addressed by the administration, we need your voice at this meeting. Even if we are not able to secure enforceable contract language via impact bargaining, we are committed to working together to solve any access issues GEs are facing. To do that, we need to hear from you. Please check in with your coworkers, union stewards, and contact healthcare@cge6069.org with any issues, questions, or concerns.

  • Petition to support laid off tenured OSU faculty

In August 2025, three tenured Professors in OSU’s College of Health received “not for cause” termination notices following a sudden “reorganization” of the Family and Community Health Program. The Administration cited OSU’s loss of a federally-funded Oregon SNAP-Ed program as justification, despite the fact that these tenured faculty positions were not supported by the SNAP-Ed grant. The funding loss appears to have been used as a pretext to downsize an entire College of Health program. Please sign this petition to reverse the termination of these tenured faculty and reaffirm the university’s commitment to shared governance, academic freedom, and tenure protections.

  • Fellows Office Hours: Fridays 12-1pm at the CGE office in Westminster House

We want to hear from grads on fellowship about their experiences and rights at work! Come say hi!

Upcoming Events


  • Immigration Rights training: this Sunday, December 7th, at 11:30am, Friends Meeting House, 3311 NW Polk Ave.
Learn about immigration rights and interacting with immigration officers.

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

In solidarity,
Serena Frazee (she/her)
VP for Communications, Coalition of Graduate Employees, AFT Local 6069
PhD Student in Integrative Biology, Oregon State University