Local Community

National Community

2007-2009 Contract Settlement

On Friday, February 23rd, after two days of voting, members of UE Local 896/COGS raitified a new contract with the State of Iowa Board of Regents and the University of Iowa. Below is a letter describing the overall settlment, followed by more detailed explanation of contract changes.

February 23, 2007

We are pleased to announce that the 2007-09 contract has been ratified. This contract preserves the rights we’ve won during the past ten years ago while continuing to improve the living and working standards of graduate employee’s at the University of Iowa. Our primary goal for bargaining was to improve the living standards of TAs and RAs by continuing our march towards full tuition scholarships while also providing salary increases to help offset the rising costs of living in the Iowa City area. Additionally, we had a goal of preserving the rights won and protected through previous contracts and our grievance procedure, rights that were under attack from the Board of Regents/UI. This agreement accomplishes each of those goals.

There are several core improvements made through this agreement, including:

* Salaries will increase 1.75% each year of this agreement
* Minimum tuition scholarships will increase to $1,962 per semester for nine credit hours in the first year of the agreement and $2,477 per semester for nine credit hours in the second year of the agreement. Currently, minimum tuition scholarships are $1487.50 per semester for nine credit hours or approximately 50% the cost of tuition. Based on the announced tuition increases of 4.8%, under the new agreement, tuition scholarships will cover 62.5% of the cost of tuition in year one and 75% of the cost of tuition in year two. Tuition scholarships for those enrolled in fewer semester hours will continue to be pro-rated accordingly.
* UIGradCare has been protected and improved. Coverage will be extended to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners. And, for the first time, employees will be able to use all the clinics at UIHC as their primary care physicians.
* Additionally, we have added language to the agreement that will ensure employees access to the materials and supplies needed to perform their job.

Several other language changes have been made in order to keep the contract in line with current practices between UE-COGS and the University of Iowa.

In conclusion, this agreement preserves the gains made over the past decade while addressing some significant non-economic issues for employees and securing a greatly improved financial package for all graduate employees. The actual agreement can be viewed by clicking on 2007-2009 Agreement. A breakdown of the agreement’s effect on take-home pay can be viewed by clicking on 2007-2009 Take Home Pay. Many thanks go to all COGS members who made this agreement possible.

In Solidarity,

UE Local 896-COGS
Bargaining and Grievance Committee

**************

AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOARD OF REGENTS, STATE OF IOWA AND UE LOCAL 896/COGS

Except as noted herein, the contract agreement maintains all current language and benefits

ARTICLE VII APPOINTMENTS

Section 2. Appointment Postings. (D) The postings shall also include the following statement: The terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to wages and benefits, in this position are governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Regents, State of Iowa and UE Local 896/COGS, the union representing graduate teaching and research assistants at the University of Iowa. Copies of this collective bargaining agreement will be provided upon your appointment and may be viewed either from the University web site: http://www.uiowa.edu/~hrpersvc/relations/Cogs/cogs.html or from the Union web site: http://www.cogs.org

This is a COGS proposal that was successfully added to the contract. It is the same language that already appears in our appointment letters. It will aid in organizing by raising awareness of the role COGS plays in establishing the working conditions of graduate employees at the University of Iowa.

ARTICLE IX WAGES

Section 2. Minimum Salaries. (A) 2003-2004. The minimum salary rate for bargaining unit employees during the term of this Agreement will be $15,330 for a 50% academic year appointment and $18,736 for a 50% fiscal year appointment. (B) 2004-2005. The minimum salary rate for bargaining unit employees during the term of this Agreement will be $15,490 for a 50% academic year appointment and $18,932 for a 50% fiscal year appointment.

Section 3. 2003-2004 Academic and Fiscal Year (Returning Employees) (A) Returning bargaining unit employees will receive minimum salary increases of:

  • Academic Year (50% Appointment): $0
  • Fiscal Year (50% Appointment): $0

    • Section 4. 2004-2005 Academic and Fiscal Year (Returning Employees) (A) Returning bargaining unit employees will receive minimum salary increases of:

  • Academic Year (50% Appointment): $160
  • Fiscal Year (50% Appointment): $196

    • Wages will be explained in conjunction with tuition scholarships. Please see the end of the document.

    ARTICLE X

    HEALTH INSURANCE

    Section 4. Plan Choices. Bargaining unit employees may choose between UI Grad Care or the Student Health Insurance Plan. Specific information regarding these plan options is available through the Benefits Office of the University Human Resources Office. Each year all eligible employees shall automatically continue coverage under the same insurance plan as long as they remain eligible for coverage, unless they indicate a desire to change their coverage. Any changes in plan choices or dependent coverage after the annual enrollment period must be made within thirty (30) calendar days of any qualifying event impacting their employment or family status, such as marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, death or loss of eligibility for coverage by spouse or dependent.

    APPENDIX A UI GRAD CARE - PLAN PROVISIONS

    2. Out of Pocket Limit - Single/Family $1,100/$1,700; Drug Card - $1,100/$1,700

    The UI/Regents proposed drastic cutbacks to our health insurance plan, including:

  • replacing percentage premiums (e.g., 90%/10% for singles) with dollar caps
  • ending summer coverage for people known to be leaving the UI (e.g., May graduates)
  • would not be able to keep the negotiated health insurance during the summer
  • increasing hospital room & board daily deductible $50 (from $75 to S$125)
  • increasing our emergency room care co-payment $25 (from $25 to $50)
  • increasing the cost of prescription drugs. From all prescriptions being $7 or 25% (whichever is greater) to a three-tiered system: Generic $7 or 25%, Formulary $15 or 30%, non-Formulary $25 or 50%
  • restricting 90% coverage for mental health care and outpatient substance abuse providers to the UIHC while reducing to 50% coverage to community providers
  • eliminating all coverage for physical therapy community providers
  • creating a $5 co-pay for all office visits

    • The UI imposed all of these cutbacks on many other university employees; COGS succeeded in protecting our health care package. We agreed to only two changes, shown above: there is now a 30-day enrollment period, and the out-of-pocket limit went from Single/Family $1000/$1500, Drug Card $1000 to Single/Family $1100/$1700, Drug Card $1100/$1700. We felt that these were acceptable in comparison to all the other proposed changes, and agreed to them in order to reach a voluntary agreement. We needed a voluntary agreement in order to have a tuition scholarship plan, a topic which could not be addressed in arbitration.

    LETTER OF AGREEMENT

    Whereas, this Letter of Agreement is entered into between the Board of Regents, State of Iowa (hereinafter referred to as the "Employer"), and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Local 896-COGS (hereinafter referred to as the "Union"), and

    Whereas, the Employer and the Union are parties to a collective bargaining agreement covering the period July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2005, bearing the same date as this Letter of Agreement, the parties have agreed to the following:

    1. Effective with the fall 2003 academic term, all bargaining unit employees appointed for a total of twenty-five (25%) or more for the entire semester, academic year, or fiscal year will be assured a minimum tuition scholarship.
    2. The minimum tuition scholarship will be defined in relation to a full time load of nine (9) semester hours, and shall be prorated for a lesser number of credit hours enrolled
    3. In the first year of the collective bargaining agreement, 2003-2004, all contract-covered employees appointed at twenty-five percent (25%) or more will receive at least $375 tuition scholarship each semester. (See Illustration 1)
    4. In the second year of the collective bargaining agreement, 2004-2005, all contract- covered employees appointed at twenty-five percent (25%) or more will receive at least $750 tuition scholarship each semester. (See Illustration 2)
    5. Nothing in this agreement is intended to reduce the tuition scholarship for any graduate student employees currently receiving a tuition scholarship.
    6. On an individual basis, employing units may exceed the minimum level of tuition scholarship provided in this Letter of Agreement.

    Minimum Tuition Scholarship Per Semester

    Illustration 1: 2003-2004 Semester Hours

    0-2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9+
    $83
    $125
    $167
    $208
    $250
    $292
    $333
    $375

    Illustration 2: 2004-2005 Semester Hours

    0-2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9+
    $167
    $250
    $333
    $417
    $500
    $583
    $667
    $750

    Without a tuition scholarship plan, employees with 50% appointments would have needed a 5% salary increase to compensate for tuition hikes; employees with 25% appointments would have needed an 8-9% salary increase. Given that other public employees across the state have settled with 2-3% wage and salary increases, and given that COGS's average increase is 3%, it is very unlikely that we would have been able to win a 5% increase in either negotiations or arbitration. Considering next year's tuition hike, even with a 3% raise, with no tuition scholarships, virtually every member of our bargaining unit would have seen a decrease in their net take home pay.

    Under the tuition scholarship plan, graduate employees with at least 25% appointments, and enrolled in 9 semester hours, will receive a tuition benefit of $375 per semester, not including summer. Salaries will remain at current levels for 2003-2004, and will increase by 1% for 2004-2005.

    2003-2004 - Tuition Scholarships Per Semester

    (See Illustration 1 above)

    Examples:

  • If you take 9+ both semesters, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $750.
  • If you register for 6 semester hours in one semester and 9+ in the other, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $625.
  • If you register for 9+ credit hours in one semester and 0-2 the next, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $458.

    • 2004-2005 - Tuition Scholarships Per Semester

    (See Illustration 2 above)

    Examples:

  • If you take 9+ both semesters, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $1500.
  • If you register for 6 credit hours in one semester and 9+ in the other, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $1250.
  • If you register for 9+ credit hours in one semester and 0-2 the next, your total tuition scholarship for the year will be $916.

    • Starting Fall 2003, post-comp employees will have to register for 2 semester hours of tuition per semester, ending the past practice of paying only a $70 post-comp fee (see http://www.grad.uiowa.edu/Publications/PoliciesAndProcedures/ContinuousRegistrationPolicy.htm on this new policy). The University tried to implement this change in Fall 2001 but due to graduate student protest, agreed to postpone it two years. Total tuition for two post-comp semesters will be $1120, an increase of $980 over this year. The tuition scholarship plan cannot fully compensate for this giant leap in tuition. Therefore, employees who are currently post-comp will see a reduction in their net take-home pay next year. However, the scholarship and wage increases in the second year mitigate the reduction.

    This is the best overall economic package COGS has ever bargained. It is above and beyond expectations in a year of major state budget cuts.