GTFF contract debate
centers on health care
■ INSURANCE: If all parties
agree, GTFs could have a
new contract in a few days
By Kristine Sohnrey
Higher Education Editor
They bargained hard to get
health insurance two years ago,
and now the Graduate Teaching
Fellowship Federation is at the ne
gotiating table again.
The insurance coverage became
an important issue for graduate
teaching fellows while negotiating
their 1993-95 contract. At that
time Measure 5 prevented an in
crease in salary, said Ken Pendle
ton, graduate student in the phi
losophy department and vice
president for university relations
forGTFF.
Now the GTFF is able to renego
tiate because the last contract al
lowed for the insurance article to
be reopened, said Maggie Morris,
assistant dean of the graduate
school.
On Aug. 26, the GTFF submit
ted a proposal to the University re
questing an increase in insurance
coverage and an increase in the
third-party administration of the
COBRA plan, said Eric Buckles,
employee relations manager in the
human resources department. The
COBRA plan allows an employee
to carry the group insurance at the
employee’s expense after the job
ends.
Steadman Upham, vice provost
for research and Dean of the Grad
uate School, said the University
met with GTFF representatives on
Wednesday to complete the 36
day negotiation for GTF employ
ees.
“According to federal law, the
insurance plan is subject to CO
BRA, which means the Universi
ty of Oregon must make insurance
available to GTF for 18 months af
ter employment ends,” Pendleton
said. “The insurance covers med
ical, dental and vision.”
Buckles said the GTFF checked
into alternate third-party adminis
trators, required by law to take
care of the COBRA paperwork.
They received bids and found a
lower cost, changing the final pro
posal before the Oct. 2 meeting,
something the University appreci
ated.
“The University agreed to make
an approximately 7 percent addi
tional contribution to the GTFF
Trust to administer the insurance
plan that GTFF and the University
of Oregon have,” Pendleton said.
“The University still agreed to pay
a 100 percent contribution to the
insurance plan.”
Morris said, “We ended up with
a tentative agreement.”
She said the contract’s wording
awaits confirmation from all par
ties before negotiations can be
completed. This should happen in
the next few days.
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