To: OSU Faculty and Staff
From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President
February 24, 2020
Dear OSU colleagues,
As you likely are aware, OSU is engaged in negotiations with the Coalition of Graduate Employees—the union that represents graduate research and teaching assistants at the university—to update the collective bargaining agreement between CGE and the university.
Of OSU’s approximately 4,850 graduate students, roughly 1,800 students hold appointments as teaching and research assistants, and are employed by the university and represented by CGE. CGE and the university have had a collective bargaining agreement since 2001, and bargaining teams from the union and OSU are meeting twice monthly to update the current agreement.
We look forward to achieving a good and sustainable agreement that builds on the excellent compensation, benefits and assistance that the university already provides graduate teaching and research assistants. Meanwhile, we recognize the outstanding contributions, dedication, and hard work of our graduate assistants in OSU’s classrooms and research.
In bargaining, the university must balance the cost of attendance for all OSU students, as well as manage competing financial pressures, such as challenges in state and federal support for higher education, and invest in priorities that advance the university’s mission and financial viability.
The current higher education environment is challenging. Mandated state public employee retirement and health insurance costs are rising. Enrollment growth—tuition from which now accounts for 70 percent of OSU’s education and general fund dollars—has slowed. And state funding is not keeping pace with service level costs. Meanwhile, OSU colleges, divisions and units are managing significant expense reductions that occurred in FY18, FY19, and this fiscal year, and that will be necessary again next year.
Within that environment, CGE has presented the university with economic proposals related to salaries, benefits and other requirements that would increase OSU’s expenditures by an estimated $45 to $54 million beginning next year, with most of the spending recurring annually.
To put this request in context, CGE’s requests represent more than 225% to 270% of the $20 million increase in education and general funding that the university anticipates this coming year for the Corvallis campus. And these requests would be above any investment the university would make for compensation and benefits for faculty, staff or other employees, and investments in strategic university priorities, including safety, infrastructure improvements and other needs.
Among other things, CGE is seeking:
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Graduate assistant appointments to be extended to 12 months regardless of research or teaching work requirements. For example, 78% of current appointments are 9 months. This proposal would result in an estimated additional annual expense of $8.3 to $11 million.
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An increase of 18.6% in minimum monthly* graduate assistant salaries, from $3,922 to $4,650. This would result in an estimated additional annual expense of $2.2 million.
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Annual guaranteed pay increases going forward of 6% compared with current contracted annual increases of 2%. This would result in an estimated $1.7 million in annual expense.
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Provision of a $300 per month subsidy for each graduate assistant who lives off-campus. This would result in an estimated additional annual expense of $3.9 million.
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A one-time reimbursement of $400 for each graduate assistant for the purchase of a bicycle. This would result in an estimated $600,000 expense.
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The establishment of a bicycle repair fund in the amount of $500 per graduate student per year. This would result in an estimated additional annual expense of $900,000.
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Establishment of one gender-neutral bathroom on each floor within all OSU buildings. It is estimated that 100 such restrooms, for example, would cost $2.5 million.
For more information about CGE’s economic proposals and their estimated costs, please visit the university’s bargaining site related to graduate assistants.
Going forward, it is clear that CGE and the university must find common ground on these economic proposals. I assure you the university will pursue continued good faith bargaining to reach a fair and sustainable agreement.
As well, we will continue to provide the OSU community regular updates on graduate assistant bargaining. Along the way, please follow the progress of bargaining on the university’s CGE bargaining website.
Sincerely,
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President
*3/4/20 Update: See clarification message here. “Minimum monthly” salary on a 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) basis is the agreed benchmark used in the collective bargaining agreement and in negotiations at the table to set assistantship salaries. However, graduate assistants are appointed on a part-time basis, from 0.3 FTE to 0.49 FTE. Thus, the monthly earnings of an assistant at the contract minimum salary level currently ranges from $1,177 (0.3 FTE) to $1,922 (0.49 FTE) depending on an employee’s FTE status and part-time work responsibility. The actual average monthly salary for all assistants at OSU is $2,028, with a range across colleges of $1,599 to $2,375. It is an estimated recurring expense of $2.2 million to increase the minimum contract rate by 18.6% to $4.650, based on actual FTEs and current salaries across the university.