Campaign to Organize Graduate Students
The packet mailed from the Benefits Office will give you a comparison of plans outlining coverage. We recommend UIGradCare, the union negotiated health insurance plan. Some highlights of UIGradCare include: routine physicals, free eye exams at UIHC (does not include contact lens fitting), free immunizations, free well-child care, physical therapy, chiropractic care, surgeries, and X-rays and labs. Prescription drugs (including oral contraceptives) cost only $7 or 25% of the drug cost, whichever is greater. For most treatments and procedures, the insurer pays 90% and you pay only 10%. There’s also an out-of-pocket maximum, so that you will never have to pay more than $1,200 for major medical expenses ($1,800 for family coverage). Dental insurance is also available which covers 100% of preventative exams and procedures.
If you have at least a 25% appointment, you, your spouse/domestic partner, and your dependent children are eligible for coverage.
For 2011-2012, premiums will be $21.10 per month for a single person. Dental insurance is an additional $3.75 per month for a single person. For information about spouse/partner or family coverage, contact your departmental steward or the COGS office.
A form will be mailed to you at summer’s end for enrollment for the upcoming year. The deadline for retroactive coverage (to September 1st) is early September. You can, however, enroll in the plan later in the year if you wish. If you do not receive this form or if you have other questions, call COGS at 337-5074 or stop by the COGS office at Old Brick, 20 E. Market Street.
You select a Primary Care Manager from the doctors at Student Health Services (in the Westlawn Building on Newton Road) or from the UIHC Family Practice and Internal Medicine Clinics or UIHC Community Medical Service Clinics. The director of Student Health Services is automatically identified as the care manager for all graduate employees. Employees are, however, encouraged to develop a relationship with one physician at any of these clinics and to request her/him by name when calling for appointments. Information on Student Health physicians on staff is available at http://www.uiowa.edu/~shs/general_info/staff.shtml. Assistance in selecting another physician in the UIHC system can be found through UI Health Access (http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/uihealthaccess/index.html).
Female employees may also select an OB/Gyn specialist from Student Health or the UIHC OB/Gyn department. Spouses and children may select their Care Manger from Family Practice, Internal Medicine, or Pediatrics at the UIHC. Female spouses or dependents may also select an OB/Gyn specialist from the UIHC.
Emergency care must be at UIHC, unless you are traveling outside the area, in which case you can get emergency treatment anywhere and later notify the insurance provider by calling a toll-free number (listed on your insurance card). For non-emergency treatment, you must call the toll-free number on your insurance card first for approval. Or, if you live outside the Iowa City area for an extended period, you may make arrangements for care by a local provider, as approved in advance by contacting the university’s Benefits Office (335-2676).
For dental care, you have the right to select any dentist who accepts Delta Dental Insurance. See page 27 of our contract for details of your dental coverage. Costs are especially low at the UI College of Dentistry.
The ’11 – ’13 contract provides for increases in pay and a 100% tuition scholarship assessed at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences rate that increase the overall net compensation for all graduate employees. Please note that the tuition scholarship does not cover fees.
The following charts provide examples of the impact of the current contract on net compensation according to appointment level and credit hours taken. These charts are estimates (2012-13 tuition estimated at a 5% increase and 2012-13 fees estimated at a 3% increase; “Fees” does not include the technology fee, which is waived for most graduate employees).
| Year | Salary | Salary Increase | Tuition |
Fees |
Tuition Scholarship | Take Home Pay | Take Home Pay Increase | Take Home Pay Increase |
| 2010-11 | $16,575 | $7,250 |
$900 |
$7,224 | $15,649 | |||
| 2011-12 | $16,908 | 2% | $7,614 |
$926 |
$7,614 | $15,982 | $333 | 2.13% |
| 2012-13 | $17,330 | 2.5% | $7,995 |
$953 |
$7,995 | $16,377 | $395 | 2.5% |
| Year | Salary | Salary Increase | Tuition | Fees | Tuition Scholarship | Take Home Pay | Take Home Pay Increase | Take Home Pay Increase |
| 2010-11 | $8,287.50 | $7,250 | $900 | $7,224 | $7,361.50 | |||
| 2011-12 | $8,454 | 2% | $7,614 | $926 | $7,614 | $7,528 | $166.50 | 2.26% |
| 2012-13 | $8,665 | 2.5% | $7,995 | $953 | $7,995 | $7,712 | $184 | 2.44% |
| Year | Salary | Salary Increase | Tuition | Fees | Tuition Scholarship | Take Home Pay | Take Home Pay Increase | Take Home Pay Increase |
| 2010-11 | $20,258 | $7,250 | $900 | $7,224 | $19,332 | |||
| 2011-12 | $20,664 | 2% | $7,614 | $926 | $7,614 | $19,738 | $406 | 2.1% |
| 2012-13 | $21,108 | 2.5% | $7,995 | $953 | $7,995 | $20,155 | $417 | 2.1% |
50% AY Appt, avg. salary, 9 credit hours in Education
| Year | Salary | Salary Increase | Tuition & Fees | Fees | Tuition Scholarship | Take Home Pay | Take Home Pay Increase | Take Home Pay Increase |
| 2010-11 | $16,575 | $8,600 | $900 | $7,224 | $14,299 | |||
| 2011-12 | $16,908 | 2% | $9,030 | $926 | $7,614 | $14,566 | $267 | 1.9% |
| 2012-13 | $17,330 | 2.5% | $9,481 | $953 | $7,995 | $14,891 | $325 | 2.23% |
| Year | Salary | Salary Increase | Tuition & Fees | Fees | Tuition Scholarship | Take Home Pay | Take Home Pay Increase | Take Home Pay Increase |
| 2010-11 | $16,575 | $1,612 | $337 | $1,606 | $16,232 | |||
| 2011-12 | $16,908 | 2% | $1,692 | $346 | $1,692 | $16,562 | $330 | 2% |
| 2012-13 | $17,330 | 2.5% | $1,777 | $356 | $1,777 | $16,974 | $412 | 2.5% |
Hours of work must reflect appointment percentage (i.e. 50% = 20 hours per week) averaged out over the semester. The Union or an employee can file an overwork grievance. Hours worked are calculated as an average; it is recognized that the number of hours from week to week will vary. If overwork is found, the remedy is back pay or lessening the employee’s work duties.
The employer may establish reasonable work rules which do not conflict with the contract. Newly established work rules must be sent to the Union 14 days before going into effect. The employer may not change any written university policy which is a mandatory bargaining issue not covered by the contract. The contract supersedes any University policy regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions. Any new work rule or change in University policy is subject to the grievance procedure.
NO. All employees are guaranteed no less than five working days per semester of paid leave for an academic year and no less than fifteen working days paid leave for a fiscal year. All employees are guaranteed eighteen sick days per year for fiscal appointment and 13.5 for academic year. A “sick day” is defined as a day that an employee had scheduled work but was sick. Additionally, an employee may use up to five sick days for family illness, birth or adoption. Employees may use up to three days of sick leave for a death in the family (including domestic partner’s family). Departments may also grant additional paid leave in above categories provided the employee can meet the time and effort obligations of appointment. It is the responsibility of the teaching assistant to make a good-faith effort to find a replacement for an absence. However, the department is responsible to assure the coverage of classes.
NO. The Union and University signed a side letter which recognizes traditional departmental practices of extended intersession leaves. If the past practice of your department is such that graduate employees have never had to work over the intersession, then that practice is to be maintained and graduate employees do not have to use their paid vacation time for the Holidays.
Our contract guarantees nine standard university holidays. If required to work on a holiday, a day off must be rescheduled. Departments will minimize holiday work and will provide 30 day advance written notice if holiday work is required.
I am pregnant. Can I take maternity leave?
There are no specific provisions for maternity leave in the contract. However, you can take your 13.5 (academic)/18 (fiscal) sick days for maternity leave, as well as your paid time off. These days need only be taken for days you are scheduled to work. So if you teach or have to attend a lecture three days a week and have an academic year appointment, the sick time would give you about four and a half weeks off, and the five days of paid time off per semester would give you an additional week and a half, for about six weeks total time off with pay. Your department may be willing to give you additional paid or unpaid time off.
My partner is pregnant. Can I take time off after the birth of the child?
You can use up to five days of sick leave per year for Family Illness Leave, which can be used for this purpose. Additionally, you can also use your paid leave for this purpose. Again, these days only count towards days you are scheduled to work. So if you teach or have to attend a lecture three days a week and have an academic year appointment, the five days of Family Illness Leave would combine with five days paid leave to give you a little over three weeks off with pay. Your department may be willing to give you additional paid or unpaid time off.
All jobs will be posted in departments prior to March 1 for fall and summer, and October 1 for spring, with information on how to apply. Posting will include course title, percentage of appointment, and qualifications required for appointment. Except for appointments intended for returning graduate assistants, departments and programs seeking to employ graduate assistants will post opportunities on the web site maintained by the Employer for the purpose of giving graduate assistants access to such postings:
All employees will receive reappointment letters by April 15 for fall and summer, and November 1 for spring. Appointment letters will include salary, teaching or work schedule (if possible), effective date of appointment, name and contact information of a tentative supervisor, and notification that health insurance is available and has deadlines for enrollment.
Our contract recognizes the UE-COGS stewards system and the union’s right to represent graduate employees. UE-COGS or an employee may file a grievance in our three step grievance procedure:
Emergency or general grievances may be raised at the third step. UE-COGS may send unresolved grievances to final and binding arbitration.
In order to more quickly and easily deal with grievances, COGS groups departments into four areas, each designated by a color. It is simply an organizational scheme. There is an Area Chief Steward elected by each area to communicate with that area’s stewards and members on grievance matters. What area is your department in? Find out here.
In 1996, Before We Had a Union Contract….
Now, With Our Union Contract….
A unique type of unionism known as rank-and-file unionism. This particular
form of rank-and-file unionism is based on the active participation of members
in the union. The officers of the union (from the local level to the national)
are elected by the membership of the union and, in turn, are required to report
back to the membership on their stewardship of the union. This includes reports
on the policies, program, expenditures, and contract negotiations which must
have the prior consent of the members and their approval on all actions
taken, and contracts negotiated, on their behalf. The essence of rank-and-file
unionism is not democratic rhetoric, but democratic practice.
In other words, the members run this union!
Of rank-and-file unionism mean for members of COGS at the University of Iowa?
It means that we, the graduate employees of the University of Iowa,
draft our own constitution and by-laws, elect our own officers, negotiate
and enforce our own contracts and defend our colleagues from workplace injustice.
In order for our local to embody the ideals of UE’s rank-and-file unionism,
our members need to actively engage in the happenings of the local and take
an active role in shaping the direction and operation of their union. There
are many ways that members can become active, including attending monthly
general membership meetings and bringing concerns and proposals to the floor
of those meetings. Furthermore, all members are encouraged to run for an elected
office in the union or serve on one of the committees that works to keep COGS
strong.
Effectiveness of COGS is determined by the membership. By choosing a rank-and-file union,
previous leaders attempted to guarantee that members would be able to express
their views on the operation of the union and be actively involved in the
policy of that union. As the beneficiaries of previous struggles, we must
continue to keep the spirit of UE’s rank-and-file unionism alive at the
University of Iowa.