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TechnographGraduate employees, University continue to negotiate earnings
By DRAKE BAER
Posted: 11/29/06 Section: News
The University and the Graduate Employees Organization are in continuing negotiations over the issues of earnings and insurance for teaching assistants and graduate students.
Steve Veazie, the University attorney involved with the negotiations, said that the University would like to make clear a number of ambiguities over GEO negotiations and the contracts that have been proposed.
He said that the remaining issues to be resolved are also perhaps the most important. The proposal made by the University was a three-year contract with increases to stipends in each of three years and changes made to the insurance plan.
The proposed graduate employee minimum salary rate for teaching assistants and graduate assistants, on average, was a $12,586 annualized salary or a 2.5 percent increase, whichever is greater, each year. The amount that graduate employees are paid varies for each department, with some, such as engineering, giving greater pay. He said that about 25 percent of the teaching assistants are paid at the minimum level.
"Graduate students are also getting a fee waiver, $12,500 added to the tuition fee waiver. It's a pretty good deal," Veazie said.
Others seem to disagree.
"It's important to remember that a tuition waiver is not wages. A labor agreement includes wages, and tuition waivers are not included in our discussions about wages," said Christopher Simeone, head spokesman for the GEO.
He also said that one would not want to be paid for one's eligibility to be an employee and that if there was no tuition waiver, then a graduate student would have to pay simply to work at the University.
"The GEO is ignoring the fact that we're putting substantial money on the line when we're proposing a 2.5 percent increase for 2,800 assistants and about the same number of research assistants," Veazie said.
Veazie said that one of the main reasons for difficulty in forging the contract comes from the fact that there are so many departments in the University, and each one has done something different.
Steve Veazie, the University attorney involved with the negotiations, said that the University would like to make clear a number of ambiguities over GEO negotiations and the contracts that have been proposed.
He said that the remaining issues to be resolved are also perhaps the most important. The proposal made by the University was a three-year contract with increases to stipends in each of three years and changes made to the insurance plan.
The proposed graduate employee minimum salary rate for teaching assistants and graduate assistants, on average, was a $12,586 annualized salary or a 2.5 percent increase, whichever is greater, each year. The amount that graduate employees are paid varies for each department, with some, such as engineering, giving greater pay. He said that about 25 percent of the teaching assistants are paid at the minimum level.
"Graduate students are also getting a fee waiver, $12,500 added to the tuition fee waiver. It's a pretty good deal," Veazie said.
Others seem to disagree.
"It's important to remember that a tuition waiver is not wages. A labor agreement includes wages, and tuition waivers are not included in our discussions about wages," said Christopher Simeone, head spokesman for the GEO.
He also said that one would not want to be paid for one's eligibility to be an employee and that if there was no tuition waiver, then a graduate student would have to pay simply to work at the University.
"The GEO is ignoring the fact that we're putting substantial money on the line when we're proposing a 2.5 percent increase for 2,800 assistants and about the same number of research assistants," Veazie said.
Veazie said that one of the main reasons for difficulty in forging the contract comes from the fact that there are so many departments in the University, and each one has done something different.
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