COGS News
October 2002
Bargaining Begins!!! COGS’ initial prposal includes increases in Salary, Vision Care, and Tuition Remission
On Tuesday, October 8th, COGS members presented our initial 2003-2005 contract proposal to the University/Board of Regents bargaining team. As the COGS Bargaining & Grievance committee explained proposed changes, COGS members held signs (e.g., “Fair Tuition Remission is Our Mission!”, “Hey Professor, I Can’t Grade These Papers Because I Can’t Read Them! VISION CARE NOW!”) and applauded the proposal that had been ratified by members at our September 25th Special Membership Meeting.
The main issues in the proposal reflected the priorities expressed by members in the spring 2002 Bargaining Survey: salaries, tuition remission, and health care. COGS proposed a 6% salary increase, recognizing that salaries cannot be discussed separately from tuition remission as the two are closely related. B&G committee member Kevin Esch noted that the climate of massive state budget cuts and steep tuition increases (18% over last year, and at least as much expected for next year) will “will demand determined exploration of our options and innovative work toward serious solutions” and that COGS will “remain dedicated to this guiding principle: graduate employees will not accept a reduction in net take home pay.” The fact remains that the University of Iowa is the only Big Ten university that does not provide tuition remission for graduate students!
The three main heath care changes proposed were: a vision plan, auto-enrollment in UIGradCare instead of SHIP for international students (SHIP is an inferior health plan that does not fully cover the tests and immunizations required for their employment), and the ability to choose primary care physicians from UIHC Family Practice and Internal Medicine in addition to Student Health. B&G committee member Vickie Clarke explained, “Currently all graduate employees must use Student Health Services for primary care, and while this has been adequate for some graduate employees, our bargaining unit includes members of all ages, backgrounds, and health care needs – not all of which are being met by the physicians at student health.”
COGS also proposed a child care reimbursement plan, as it has in past contract negotiations. Our plan adopts what is already offered on a limited basis by University Family Services, with higher stipends than are currently available to be provided to all graduate employees in need of them. B&G committee member Brad Casucci stated, “The historical gender discrepancy in care giving for children creates a workplace equity issue. In order to ensure that all graduate employees, regardless of gender or family status, will be able to meet their familial as well as professional responsibilities, we must bring access to, and support for, childcare to acceptable levels.” Other proposals related to our appointments, hours of work, nondiscrimination, and immunization shots. Since many graduate students are recruited by their departments with the understanding that they will be employed or funded for a certain number of years, COGS proposed that employees be reappointed at least the number of years offered to them by their department in their first appointment letter offer or per their department’s appointment policy. COGS proposed that departments establish a maximum class size policy to be provided to the Union and to employees along with their appointment letters, because increasing class sizes create overwork in many departments. COGS asked that employees be warned if and when they will receive performance evaluations and that they have the right to make comments on the evaluations, as well as grieve an evaluation rated below satisfactory level.
COGS asked that employees be given access, without charge, to all copiers, materials, and supplies needed for their work duties. We proposed, as in the past, that a standard non-discrimination clause be included in the contract. We asked that graduate employees who substitute for other graduate employees be paid $20 per class substituted, and finally, that the employer pay the full cost of immunization shots for all employees required to receive such shots.
On Tuesday, October 22nd, at 4pm in W401 Pappajohn, the University/Board of Regents will present its initial contract proposal to COGS members. Be there! A big member turnout reminds the UI that COGS members care deeply about this contract and are serious about negotiations!
COGS Fights Health Care Reductions!
In August all UIGradCare participants received a memorandum from the University explaining an upcoming change in our health care provider network. Effective January 1, 2003, incoming graduate employees who use UIGradCare will under this new plan be forced to pay 50% for non-UIHC sources of mental health, and chemical dependency care, and will not be covered at all for community physical therapy providers. This is a considerable cost hike over the 10% we currently pay (with prior network approval).
COGS is extremely concerned about this change in the UIGradCare provider network. With this change graduate employees will essentially be limited to UIHC services for these kinds of care, as most of us are hardly able to pay half or all of the costs incurred from these services. UE Field Representative Ryan Downing and I recently met with the Universityto discuss the deterioration of services we believe this represents. Through preliminary investigations—aided by the scout work of a number of our members—we have determined that this proposed change would diminish our contractual benefits both quantitatively and qualitatively. UIHC has a limited number of psychologists, and waitlists to talk with them are long; graduate employees would likely be seen instead by less experienced social workers or nurse practitioners. Furthermore, services and treatments currently available at outside providers, such as couples counseling, are not offered through UIHC.
A grievance of this magnitude will not be won easily or quickly. We are currently awaiting the university’s decision on whether they think this issue constitutes a mandatory topic of bargaining. If they fail to agree on this point, the question will be answered by PERB. An ultimate resolution will probably come about in arbitration.
As we work through this long grievance process, we recommend that you fill out and return the exception release that you received with the memorandum. This will guarantee that current employees will still be covered at the 90% rate in the new year. And stay tuned as COGS battles to retain the great health care coverage that we have worked so hard to get!
Kevin Esch, Campus Chief Steward
COGS Organizers Are Building the Union – More to be Done!
Members of COGS have been visiting co-workers in their offices to invite them to join the union. Response has been positive, but there is much more to be done. With hundreds of non-members yet to be approached, COGS needs more volunteers to get the word out. Please consider taking an hour to join us in office visits. With the contract negotiations underway, building a solid base of dues-paying members is crucial for the strength of our local.
Meanwhile, the Organizing Committee is growing. Members Angie Hetler, Patrick Oray, Kristin Solli and Jake Wedemeyer have stepped up to lead us in the drive to reach out to non-members. You can help too, by joining the Organizing Committee or by coming along on one or more office visits. Look for dates and times in COGS emails and announcements at membership meetings. Or, just call the COGS office. Office visits are easy, since graduate employees generally understand the need for a strong union membership. We have plenty of materials to help you “talk union” on visits, and experienced member-organizers to accompany new folks on their first outing. Let’s make this a record year for membership in COGS!
Mike Evces, VP for Organizing
Delegates Report from 67th UE National Convention
Proposed Changes to the 2004 UE National Convention, Discussion of Switching to an Hourly Per-Capita System Highlight Annual UE Gathering
Recently, COGS’ delegates Lise Vandervoort, Michael Marchman, and Rob Russell attended the annual national convention of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since unionizing and affiliating with UE in 1996, COGS members have elected and sent delegates to attend the national convention where members set policies and direct the agenda for the national union for the upcoming year. This year’s convention continued the focus on financial questions while also highlighting the struggle faced by workers in North Carolina and across the US to gain and continue to receive the benefits of a union contract.
During the past year, UE locals voted to implement part of a financial plan aimed at continuing the independence and rank-and-file unionism advocated by UE. As a part of that plan, UE implemented a $3 increase, spread over 3 years, in the per capita dues paid by each local to the national union. In response to this plan, COGS members developed and implemented our own plan to ensure financial stability for our local while being able to increase our per capita contributions to UE.
At the Raleigh convention, UE members discussed two other parts of the plan to ensure financial independence and stability. One, a constitutional amendment to skip the 2004 National Convention, was ratified by COGS members after significant discussion at our October 10th COGS Membership Meeting. We are currently awaiting the results from all locals to see whether this amendment becomes a part of the UE Constitution. The other part, a series of plans to tie per capita dues to hourly wages, was presented by National Secretary-Treasurer Bruce Klipple but with no immediate voting to occur on any of these proposals.
Skipping the 2004 National Convention
The annual UE National Convention has long been a hallmark of UE’s brand of rank-and-file unionism, allowing members to set policy and discuss the direction of the union for the upcoming year. However, holding each national convention costs the UE approximately $70,000 per convention, plus another $20,000 spent on convention subsidies (for locals unable to afford to send delegates otherwise), and numerous hours spent by members of the staff preparing and organizing the convention. As a part of a one year trial, the UE General Executive Board recommended that we amend the UE Constitution to skip the 2004 national convention, saving the union a considerable amount of money. However, after 2004, the UE would return to annual conventions.
A great deal of discussion surrounded this proposal, with numerous members arguing that the national convention is the heart of UE and this particular brand of unionism. Members argued that skipping the 2004 convention would start the UE down a slippery slope, possibly eroding one of the central tenets of UE’s form of democratic, member-run unionism and moving the UE more towards business-style unionism. However, other members argued for a one time skipping of the convention in order to assess the possible merits/demerits of this portion of the plans. Additionally, a number of members put forth that skipping the 2004 national convention and the additional cost savings generated by this change, would help ensure financial stability of UE in the short run and simultaneously allow the union to continue to function as an independent, democratic entity well into the future. After the long and contentious debate, delegates voted 72 2/3 to 72 1/3 to recommend a constitutional amendment in miss the 2004 National Convention.
Switch to an Hourly Per Capita System
Per capita dues (per caps) are the dues that locals pay per member to the national union. Currently, all UE locals pay a flat fee per member to UE. Part-time locals, such as ours, currently pay $7.50 per month to the UE while full time locals pay twice this, or $15. This money funds the organizing and support services provided by the national union – for example, the staff and financial resources necessary during our organizing drive in 1996, the servicing staff who assist our members in bargaining contracts, handling grievances, and training our officers and activists each year, and the legal, educational, and research resources available to us from the national office whenever needed.
Under the current per capita system, the only way that UE has to increase per capita rates is through a constitutional amendment that is voted on by delegates to the national convention and approved by locals. This system, while ensuring equality between members for what they pay, means that a much greater percentage of wages is taken from low-wage shops versus high-wage shops. With the increase in per capita approved in 2001, many low wage shops are feeling a greater pinch from their local union dues. Because of this situation, delegates at the 2001 UE National Convention instructed the UE General Executive Board to form a separate committee for the purpose of finding different ways to switch the UE to an hourly dues system. Under an hourly dues system, each local is charged a per capita equal to a specified portion of that members wages (i.e. one hour’s wages). With an hourly dues system, the amount of per capita increases with each wage increase – providing the UE with a built in mechanism to keep per capita payments close to the rate of inflation.
At the 2002 National Convention, two different ideas were discussed regarding a switch to an hourly per capita system. The primary difference between the two ideas is whether there is a cap on the amount of per capita paid to the UE. Though no specific proposals were made, it appears that discussion will continue throughout this year at district councils with the intent of submitting a proposal at the next UE National Convention.
Discussion on the switch to an hourly per capita system will continue throughout the year. Please review the proposed change express your thoughts, ideas, concerns, etc. to the COGS office (cogs@cogs.org).
COGS Members Support Striking Azteca Workers
On Saturday, October 5th COGS members took to grocery store parking lots as part of a nationwide UE solidarity action supporting workers at Azteca Foods in Chicago. Azteca workers had been on strike a week already when UE members across the country leafletted grocery stores, informing consumers about Azteca Foods owner Art Velasquez’s refusal to negotiate a union contract with his employees.
Azteca has an estimated revenue of $30-33 million a year, and its tortillas and chips are sold in major grocery chains across the nation, including HyVee and Eagle. The average wage is $9.64/hr. The company is seeking to cut workers’ medical and maternity leaves, take away seniority rights, expand the use of temporary workers who make around minimum wage with no benefits, ban all union newsletters from the company premises, and more.
For many years Azteca workers were represented by a corrupt company union that threatened workers and did its best to protect the company. Three years ago, they began their struggle for a real union and last April they voted 3 to 1 to affiliate with UE. They began negotiations with the company in May but Azteca has stalled negotiations and proposed major cutbacks to workers despite record profits.
So on October 5th COGS members Jen Sherer, Deb Herman, and UE field organizer Ryan Downing leaftletted the Waterfront Drive HyVee, whileLise VanderVoort joined Azteca workers and supporters in leafletting Dominick’s and Jewel in Chicago. They informed management and customers of the workers’ struggle and urged people to send Azteca the message that workers need a fair contract now!
How can you help? Contact Ryan Downing at the COGS office to find out about future solidarity actions. Call Azteca at 708-563-6600 or send a message at the “Contact Us” part of the Azteca web site, www.aztecafoods.com. Tell Art Velasquez to stop stalling and negotiate a fair contract now!
