Progress slow in GEO contract negotiations

Although a meeting of the Graduate Employees Organization and the University reduced tension between the two groups earlier this week, GEO members still believe significant progress must be made to reach a settlement before its current contract expires Feb.1.

"The tone of the first session was positive," said Andrea Westland, chair of the GEO bargaining committee. "However, we still haven't seen much movement on the big issues such as pay for international (graduate student instructors) training, the wage proposal and affirmative action," Westland said.

But Dan Gamble, chief University negotiator, said he is pleased with how the negotiations are going.

"I think things are going to progress positively from here on out," said Gamble, who is the University's associate academic human resources director. "We have talked the issues through and we can now begin to get more serious."

GEO chief negotiator Eric Odier-Fink said that while the University "started off the term on a good foot with us," many of GEO's most crucial issues have been left unresolved.

"The tone at the bargaining table is good, but they owed us a counterproposal on wages," Odier-Fink said. "They said they not only didn't have one for us (Monday), but they implied there wasn't one in the works. This is going to make many GEO members angry."

GEO wants to increase GSI average monthly income by 37 percent, which would include a 27 percent increase in wages and a wave of the GSI registration fee.

Gamble said that while he hopes to present a counterproposal on wages at a negotiation meeting tomorrow, he does not feel GEO's wage request is realistic. "The 37 percent increase they're asking for is pretty ambitious," Gamble said.

Although GEO and the University have not reached an agreement on wages, they approved two proposals Monday, the first of which altered parts of GEO's health care policies, which are included in its contract. With the alteration, the University must give a 60-day notice to all GEO members before it makes a change in University health care policies.

Prior to Monday, Gamble said, the University did not have to inform GSIs of these changes.

"Although there was no language in the contract, we made them aware of the changes nevertheless," Gamble said.

Westland said GEO now has a better opportunity to examine more carefully the University's health care alterations, such as dropping or adding HMO vendors.

"Before, there wasn't a set time," Westland said. "We wanted to make sure we had ample time to investigate the effects of the changes for graduate students and organize against them if necessary."

GEO and the University also agreed upon a proposal concerning GSI grievance procedures, Gamble said. Previously, when GSIs were working more hours than their contracts stipulated, they first had to address their concerns to their department chair instead of their immediate supervisors.

"This new agreement allows GSIs to bring their concerns to their supervisors at an earlier stage in the procedure," Gamble said.

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