Local Community

National Community

2003-2005 Contract Settlement

On Wednesday, February 19th, 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 18, 2003

Members of UE/COGS Local 896:

We are pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement for a 2003-2005 contract. In recent years, our net compensation has steadily decreased due to drastic tuition increases. Our primary goal in entering these negotiations was to reverse that trend while maintaining salary equities among members of our bargaining unit. We believe this agreement accomplishes that goal, and given the current economic climate, is an exceptional achievement. Here is a brief sketch of the key economic components of the new contract:

Salaries will remain at current levels for 2003-2004, and will increase by 1% for 2004-2005. In addition, graduate employees with at least 25% appointments, and enrolled for 9 semester hours, will receive a tuition scholarship of $375 per semester, not including summer. Tuition scholarships for those enrolled in fewer semester hours will be pro-rated accordingly. In the second year of the contract, those benefits will increase to $750 per semester. Under this agreement, no member of our bargaining unit will experience a reduction of his or her net compensation, with the exception of those employees paying the new post-comp tuition, effective Fall 2003 (assuming tuition climbs at the same rate it did this year).

While other university employees are experiencing a deterioration of their health insurance packages, ours will remain virtually unchanged. Out-of-pocket maximums will increase from $1,000 to $1,100 for single participants and from $1,500 to $1,700 for families; drug card maximums will move from $1,000 to $1,100 and $1,700 respectively.

The tentative agreement has our unanimous approval. We have provided a copy of proposed contract changes along with a brief analysis of those changes; please feel free to voice any questions or concerns you may have to us. We will be available Tuesday, February 18th, at 7:00 p.m. in 301 Van Allen Hall, and on Wednesday, February 19th from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the COGS office. Members will be able to vote on contract ratification at either of these times.

The terms of this agreement, particularly the tuition benefit package, are the result of several years of effort on the part of COGS members, past bargaining committees, and UE Field Organizer, Ryan Downing. We would like to thank all of those who have supported these negotiations.

In Solidarity,

The Bargaining and Grievance Committee:
Brad Casucci, Vickie Clarke, Kevin Esch, Dana Quartana, Lise VanderVoort

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

Except as noted herein, the tentative 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.