“The UO works because we do!”
This is a common cry at rallies for the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF), the graduate employees’ union at the University of Oregon, as we continue to bargain for a new contract.
It is also indisputable. We teach 17 percent of lectures, 83 percent of labs and 93 percent of discussion sections.
Tuition has more than doubled since 2008. Employee wages and benefits often get cited by the administration as the reason for these increases, as they were in President Michael Schill’s email to the UO community earlier this month.
It is frustrating for proud UO employees to feel like we are pitted against our students. This is especially true for graduate employees like me because 79 percent of us do not even earn a living wage in Eugene by the university’s own calculations.
Our low salaries are somewhat balanced by stellar health insurance. Recognizing the rising cost of our health insurance to the university, we voluntarily made major changes to our insurance in both the last two years. This saved the UO more than $1 million.
So it is hurtful when they propose in good faith bargaining to cut their contributions to our health insurance by more than 20 percent. Even with their proposed salary increase, this would result in lower net take-home pay.
Consider the price tag of having faculty teach all of our coursework. We are inexpensive by comparison.
UO works because we do.
We are a bargain for the UO. It’s time they give us a good deal too.
Michael Hudak
UO graduate employee
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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