|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
FAQ about GEOC Contract |
The Graduate Employees Organizing
Committee (GEOC) and Wayne State reached a tentative agreement on a new
contract, which was ratified by their membership per notice on June 9,
2006. Following are
some frequently asked questions regarding the Contract:
Q. 1 When is this contract effective?A. The language portions of the Contract take effect on April 25, 2006. The wage portions will take effect at the beginning of the Fall 2006 Semester. Q. 2 Who is covered by the contract?A. The Union and the University agreed that the Contract would extend to all Graduate Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Assistants. Exceptions are those graduate assistants who serve as counselors, supervisors, confidential employees or coaches. These graduate assistants are not covered by the contract. Q. 3 Are Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) covered?A. No. GRA's are engaged in research or scholarly activities that are of direct benefit to the student's own academic work, such as thesis or dissertation research and thus are not covered by the GEOC contract. GRA's must complete the GRA Certificate of Relevancy to ensure that their duties are appropriate to their research and non-represented status. Q. 4 What is the difference between a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Graduate Student Assistant (GSA)?A. GTA's are engaged in instructionally related activities of not more than 20 hours per week on average and may be covered by the GEOC contract. GSA's are covered by the GEOC contract and are engaged in scholarly work or research activity that is primarily for the benefit of the University, and that is not related to his or her own dissertation or similar academic or educational program. Q. 5 Does the collective bargaining agreement affect the status of GTA's and GSA's as students? A. No. All graduate assistants must still be graduate students in good standing and make adequate progress towards their degree. Nothing in the contract affects academic issues Q. 6 How will we know who is covered by the contract and who is not?A. If a student is employed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant or Graduate Student Assistant, and does not serve as a counselor, supervisor, confidential employee or coach, he/she is represented by the GEOC. Q. 7 How is my relationship with my graduate teaching assistants affected by the contract?A. The University is unable to make certain unilateral changes in working conditions because many details of the employment relationship are covered by a labor contract. Represented employees have the ability to challenge clearly excessive workload assignments. For the most part the relationship is not affected, except that graduate assistants have an independent contractual right to enforce their negotiated rights. For example, the 20 hour workload limitation has been in effect for decades. Graduate assistants have a means to insist that substantial violations be redressed.Q. 8 Can represented GTA’s and GSA’s file grievances?A. Yes. A grievance is a disagreement concerning compliance with some aspect of the contract. The GEOC contract outlines two grievance procedures which detail the steps used to resolve disagreements. The first, Article III, concerns all disagreements about the contract except those relevant to number of work hours per week. The second, Article VIII C, D and E deal specifically with workload and the assignment of not more than 20 hours per week on average. The grievance procedure ends in binding arbitration. A GEOC employee can grieve contract violations, certain inappropriate working conditions and allegations of unjust discipline or dismissal. If you do get a grievance filed against you, you should contact Associate Provost Margaret Winters in Academic Affairs for guidance on your rights and responsibilities. (See Article III for extensive details on the grievance process.) Q. 9 What benefits do GEOC employees receive?A. GEOC employees will continue to receive the same medical and dental insurance options that WSU graduate assistants received in the past. Vision care insurance will be provided in Fall 2006 to all GEOC employees who are enrolled in a WSU medical insurance plan. A GEOC employee will also continue to receive ten graduate credits of tuition assistance for appointments during the fall and winter semester. As in the past, the non-resident portion of the semester’s tuition assessment will be reduced for all credits on the student’s Plan of Work. Q. 10 Can GEOC-represented employees have an outside job?A. Subject to some limitations. The University and the GEOC agreed that represented employees may have a part-time job as long as it does not interfere with their WSU duties. The GEOC employee's University duties are the employee's first and primary responsibility. GTAs and GSAs may not teach more than one course at another institution and may not use any WSU materials. Upon the request of the graduate assistant’s department chair or graduate advisor, the GTA or GSAmust complete an Outside Employment report Form and submit it by the seventh week of class. The form is available on the Graduate School web site at http://www.gradschool.wayne.edu/assistantships/gaforms.html. As in the past, GRA's may not hold outside employment. Q. 11 Can represented employees be laid off?A. Yes. If a class gets cancelled, upon two weeks' written notice, a GEOC employee could be laid off. However, the Department must first consider all other appointment possibilities that utilize the employee's experience and expertise. If such an assignment is unavailable, the employee will be offered non-instructional duties. If the employee deems these unacceptable, the employee will be provided two weeks of severance pay. [See Article IV.] Q. 12 Do GEOC employees have any special rights?A. See Article V for special rights relating to personnel records, office space and access, supplies/equipment, mailboxes and changes in course grades. Q. 13 Do GEOC employees undergo a probationary period?A. There is no probationary period for Graduate Teaching Assistants. The Probationary period, during which discipline, including termination, is not subject to grievance challenge, shall apply only to Graduate Student Assistants and shall begin with the first day of employment and end on that same date, four months later. GSAs will serve only one probationary period, even if they move in and out of the unit. Q. 14 What can I do if the employee performs his work duties in an unacceptable manner?A. After the probationary period, if applicable, employee discipline must be "fair" (i.e., for "just cause") and is subject to grievance challenge. Where the misconduct is not serious, the employee is to be provided with at least one written warning prior to termination or discipline. Associate Vice President Stephen Calkins, Academic Affairs, should be consulted for guidance where continuing formal discipline seems necessary. For serious misconduct (which the contract did not define and for which Associate Vice President Calkin's guidance should be sought), there can be discipline or termination without a prior written warning. Serious discipline would include offenses such as: theft; acts of dishonesty; falsification of records; being intoxicated at work or under the influence of drugs; fighting; threats; sexual harassment; etc. The University encourages coaching prior to formal discipline for its employees. We often have a significant investment in the training of employees and reasonable efforts to reform performance concerns should almost always be undertaken, absent particularly serious misconduct or special circumstances. Q. 15 How long is an employee appointed for?A. Typically, appointments are for one semester, two semesters or one year. Q. 16 Does an employee have a right to be re-appointed?A: No. A unit is not required to reappoint an employee after the term of the employee's contract ends. Q. 17 Can the department establish work rules?A. It is up to the department, but if you have work rules, you must make arrangements to notify every GEOC employee in your department. (Consult Article VII E for details on notice requirements). Q. 18 Is there a limit on how many hours a represented employee can be worked?A. Yes. The agreement continues the previous rule that on average, employees are not to work more than approximately 20 hours per week over the course of a semester. It is a rebuttable presumption that an assignment not exceeding eight ( 8) credit hours as instructor of record or exceeding 12 contact hours of laboratory or discussion section administration, does not exceed 20 hours per week. The workload limitation is to be determined over the course of a semester. A procedure for employees to challenge substantial violations of the workload limitation is set in Article VIII, D-F . Q. 19 Has the contract regulated appointment procedures?A. Yes. To the extent practicable, the University is to inform employees of the decision to re-employ or not re-employ by June 15th for those beginning in the fall semester and December 1st for the winter semester. See Article IX for details of notices to be provided employees about employment matters. Q. 20 What about summer appointments?A. If an employee held a position as a represented GTA or a GSA in the winter semester, and continues to hold that position in the summer, then the employee continues to be covered by the contract. But if the person holds a non-represented position, (e.g., adjunct faculty part-time) that person is employed outside the union and outside of the contract's terms. As before, departments are free to set wage levels for summer employment at their discretion. The contract specifically excludes summer wages from regulation. Q. 21 Do GEOC employees have sick leave?A. No. They are not covered by a formal sick plan with a sick bank. For the most part, a graduate assistant’s illness has been handled effectively on an informal basis, and the GEOC and the University agreed to continue that same practice. If either the University or the GEOC decides that the informal system is not effective, the two sides have agreed to bargain some alternative arrangement. Particular concerns about absenteeism should be brought to the attention of Associate Vice President Stephen Calkins, Academic Affairs, for guidance. Q. 22 Are GEOC employees entitled to bereavement pay?A. Yes. They have bereavement for up to five days pay for the following relations: spouse, domestic partner, son, daughter, parent, step-parent, brother, grandchild (or spouse of any of the preceding) of the employee or the employee's spouse, or any relation living in the immediate household as the employee. Use of bereavement will have to be tracked informally because these employees will continue to not have timesheets completed for them. Q. 23 Can GEOC employees be paid more than the salary minimums?A. Yes. The scales set forth in the contract are minimums. Higher amounts may be paid in wages and fringe benefits at the University's discretion when appropriate for the maintenance of academic quality, to reflect competitive changes in the market, to reward outstanding professional contributions, and to effect the correction of inequities. Q. 24 Must GEOC employees belong to the Union and pay dues?A. Employees may choose not to be a member of the Union. However, if they do not join the GEOC, they must pay a service fee. Q. 25 When does this contract expire?A. The contract expires February 28, 2009. Q. 26 Are there any binding past practices already under the new contract?A. No. Except for the informal arrangement relating to sick pay coverage, there are no binding past practices. Furthermore, employer decisions under the prior sick coverage practice are not subject to grievance except to the extent that they violate other provisions of this agreement. Q. 27 Where can I get a copy of the contract?A. It is posted on the Graduate School web site at www.gradschool.wayne.edu. Hard copies are available from the Graduate School and Academic Affairs. Q. 28 Where do I go for questions?A. For appointment processing matters, including dues, contact Carole Barduca at 7-8051 (ad3259@wayne.edu). For general matters of contract interpretation, contact Associate Vice President Stephen Calkins at 7-2200, (aa1412@wayne.edu) .
|
 |
|