“When I say union, you say power,” was the chant Wednesday morning in the Memorial Union Quad as members of the Coalition of Graduate Employees practiced marching for a potential picket over low wages.
Since Sept. 25, Oregon State University and the CGE have been at an impasse over negotiations to raise graduate employees’ wages.
According to CGE picketers, sixth-year PhD student Layla Ghazi, OSU has not been “bargaining in good faith.”
“We are practicing picketing because contract negotiations with OSU have stalled,” CGE President Austin Bosgraaf said. “We are trying to send a message to OSU that we are serious and we are organized and that we are ready to stand together to work for a better contract.”
As of Oct. 2, when both OSU and CGE submitted their “last, best and final offers,” the two are on a 30-day “cooling off” period during which negotiations may continue.
The university has offered an eight percent increase in salary minimums and annual increases for returning graduate employees. The proposed five-year term would increase the university’s current spending by $7.28 million.
Meanwhile, the CGE’s offer includes a 50% increase to salary minimums and annual increases for returning graduate employees.
“So in essence, our main ask is to get all graduate employees up to something approaching a living wage,” said CGE Vice President of Political Engagement Luke Nearhood. “I mean, even with our current proposal on the table, it still wouldn’t be enough for everyone in the bargaining unit to live comfortably in Corvallis, but it would be a massive improvement over the current status quo.”
Nearhood said that the CGE is also demanding that the current contract cycle be maintained.
“(The contract cycle) is every four years with a partial reopener every two years,” said Nearhood. “The university wants to try to lock us into a five-year contract with raises every year that wouldn’t keep up with inflation over the life of the contract.”
According to a statement in an email from OSU Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Manager Lanesha Reagan, OSU is committed to working toward a sustainable contract that “honors the important work of Graduate Employees.”
They also recognize that “as the steward of public funds and student tuition dollars, OSU must meet its obligation to manage resources appropriately.”
However, the two sides have differing opinions about what is appropriate.
Picketer and Ghazi said that graduate students are facing financial instability and are struggling to pay their bills.
“The most common example we talk about is like, you know, rent goes up by 10% every year, but our money doesn’t go up by more than a percent a year,” Ghazi said. “And so today, we’re just practicing letting the administration and the students know that we will absolutely go on strike if we need to for the sake of fair wages and making sure that the individuals who work and execute classes are really fairly compensated for that.”
Ghazi said that if the CGE goes on strike, it will have severe repercussions for the university.
“If we want for all of the members to take a vote to go on strike, all the (Teacher’s Assistants) basically stop working. Your classes get canceled. Your finals don’t get graded, it falls apart, right? So OSU works because we do.”
Bosgraaf said that CGE is still deciding on the vote to go on strike.