COGS News

June 2004

COGS Wins Major Greivance!

Five Employees Receive $904 in Back Pay

Well into the spring semester, stewards in the History department caught wind of a handful of TAs working several hours above their appointment percentage. Bringing some of the TAs involved together, stewards investigated the matter. Very quickly it became evident that the half-time TAs were working, on average, more than the average 20 hours per week of a half-time appointment as defined by the contract (Article VII, section 1).

Upon gathering the necessary facts, the employees and their stewards raised the matter with their DEO as directed by the contract (Article VII, section 3). At this point three things became clear. First, it was too far into the semester for the appointment hours to be amended in order to average the total appointment hours actually worked. Second, reducing the amount of work would only affect the quality of education being delivered to the undergraduate students – a quality employees, union stewards, and the department wanted to maintain. Third, the only possible remedy would be an appropriate adjustment in salary to reflect the actual hours worked.

While the department was not hostile to the issue being raised, it was not in a position to solve the grievance. Thus, a grievance was filed at Level two of the grievance procedure, again as directed by the contract ( Article VII, section 3).

At this point the union and the university agreed to move to Level three of the grievance procedure – a meeting with the UI Director of Employee and Labor Relations. At this meeting the employees and their union representatives presented a clear summary of the actual hours worked, demonstrating that their hours well exceeded their 50% appointments.

Finally, as a result of the quick action taken by the stewards, and the preparation of employees and stewards of evidence to show actual hours worked, the grievance was sustained. The five employees involved will see their salary adjusted by $904 reflecting the amount of hours worked over and beyond a half-time appointment.

This represents a major breakthrough for COGS. Working hours and work load issues are prevalent all over campus. As this grievance demonstrates, vigilant stewards, well-informed employees, good investigation and documentation are what’s needed to address the problem. So be ready. Don’t let overwork happen to you. For more information on what to do about overwork issues email us at cogs@cogs.org.

--Chris Burgess Campus Chief Steward

From Our President

Early last semester, the UI instituted a new tuition billing policy that would bill grad employees at the beginning of August for tuition. The due date for tuition under the new policy is August 22. The deadline for tuition payments comes before grad employees receive pay from their appointment. In the process, UI TA’s/RA’s risk incurring late fees and encumbrances to registration and University facility use.

In response to many complaints filed with COGS, representatives of the union met with Kevin Ward (Senior Associate in Human Resources) and Donna Welter (Administrative Associate in the Graduate College) on Friday, April 30 to come up with solutions to anticipated problems. This new policy could create unfair late fees and restricted library use, among other things.According to Mr. Ward, UI administrators changed the tuition billing policy to bring the University in line with other publicly funded institutions in the state. Billing dates and payment deadlines stipulated in the new policy are followed by most Big Ten Universities. With the new policy money is brought into the University earlier, allowing them pay their own bills.. To make the provisions of the new policy clear, only the minimum periodic payment for tuition, fees and other charges on your U-Bill will be billed on August 1 and due August 22. COGS would like to make sure that graduate students’ interests are served as well without being penalized with late fees and other restrictions. Curretnly, our contract does not deal with Tuition billing issues such as this. As such, COGS cannot force the University to change the new policy. However, THAT DOES NOT MEAN the union and its membership are powerless in making sure the new policy is administered with grad employees’ best interests a priority. At this time we are awaiting official word from UI addressing our concerns. Marty Miller in the Cashier’s Office has the power to redress the negative effects of the tuition policy. As employees we must keep pressure on the Cashier’s Office until we get something IN WRITING that explains in detail how the University is going to adjust the new policy to meet our concerns. In addition, we have to pressure the University to effectively communicate to grad employees about the provisions of the new billing policy in order to have a smooth transition. In the meantime, there are steps we can take to minimize these concerns. We at COGS realize this is not the perfect solution. Until wecome to an agreement with the University on how the new tuition billing system will be amended to meet the concerns of grad employees, COGS suggests current and incoming grad TA’s/RA’s do the following:

Be sure to register for classes by July 20 to ensure your tuition scholarship is applied to your August tuition bill.
Make sure your appointment has been processed by the July 20 deadline so that funds to pay tuition are in place.
Enroll in UI’s payroll deduction through ISIS to facilitate tuition payment from your Sept. 1 paycheck.
Call Marty Miller’s office at 335-0067 and demand to know how the University plans to address your concerns about the new billing system.

Please contact us at cogs@cogs.org if you have any questions or concerns. at 319-337-5074.

--Patrick Oray COGS President

Bring New Members to COGS!

Recruitment Keeps Our Voice Strong

Though classes seem far away, the COGS organizing machine never stops grinding. This is the first organizing note from me as your new V.P of organizing. This is just the beginning; below are issues you will hear more about in the future. I have outlined my thoughts regarding organizing and what YOU can do over the summer to be involved in YOUR union.

This year is all about BARGAINING. As we are all aware, it’s a contract bargaining year. It is critical that we show strength in numbers and solidarity in action when we come to the table with the University. This is especially true in the face of tightened budgets. WE NEED YOU! Our contracts are only as strong as our union, which is only as strong as its members. Therefore, we need to increase our membership, and of course the best way to do that is have current members tout the benefits to potential members. I plan on continuing the traditional face-to-face approach with house and office visits, but also have some new ideas for getting the word out and the members in. These new approaches include members BARGAINING; not for contracts, but for stuff. In order to increase our union’s VISIBILITY and member involvement, I propose a Stuff Swap for the fall. As grad students, we all have a lot of things that we no longer use, but others might find useful. If anyone would like to pursue this with me, please email me elizabeth-sutton@uiowa.edu.

In addition, I would love to implement tours of the services offered with GradCare. I think it would be doubly beneficial in that members would be oriented to their health care, and potential members could physically see the kinds of things the union has bargained for us. If you work in the health sciences, or are otherwise interested in helping me implement this, email me elizabeth-sutton@uiowa.edu.

Finally, the most fundamental strategy for the year is to get a STEWARD in EVERY DEPARTMENT. As Chief Steward Chris Burgess says, “We want to be like a Hydra!” A cohesive, involved department is key to a department invested in the union. We want the union to work for its members; that’s why we need a representative from every department. Departmental autonomy and grounds-up involvement are key to a productive union working for your interests.

On that note, I reiterate the call for your help. Email me if you’d like to be involved in House/Office visits, Beginning of the Year Department Meetings, the possible Stuff Swap or Health Care Tour, and of course, if you want to be a steward, step up to the plate! elizabeth-sutton@uiowa.edu.

Expect phone calls this summer! MEMBERS run this union!

--Elizabeth Sutton Vice-President for Organizing

It’s Your Union!

When it comes to improving our professional working conditions, we all want good results, and the only reliable way to get good results is work—energy and time spent. There is only so much time and energy to begin with, and we all have a number of personal, professional, and academic projects already competing for our attention. The question, then, is how to get the best results with the minumum of energy and time spent. The answer is organization. This means more than recruiting new members and getting current ones more involved, though that is always important. It also means more and better communication at every level, and in every sector of the union; it means knowledgeable members and trained stewards in every department; and it means having clear goals and a clear plan for acheiving them. It seems like a big job, but it isn’t. If everyone does a little, a lot gets done. Improving organization is a constant effort, but it’s effective. As we approach a bargaining year, and look forward to a new contract, our organization will be the key to getting good results, so tell us what our goals ought to be, find out how you can help, and let us know how it’s going. It’s your union.