All-night talks end U of O teaching asst. strike

Marathon all-night talks resulted in an agreement early Wednesday that will end a more than week-long strike by University of Oregon graduate teaching assistants, the two sides said.

The two sides were split over pay as well as medical and parental leave.

Here’s the joint statement issued by the University of Oregon and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation:

“In a mediation session that began Tuesday and went through the night, our bargaining teams came to terms on a tentative agreement. The GTFF members will hold a ratification vote to decide on the final agreement. The president, on behalf of the Board of Trustees by designation of authority, will ratify the agreement before it will take effect.

“GTFs will be returning to work, as soon as today , as the university completes finals week.

“We were able to find compromise in regard to a graduate assistance fund and absences provision that address concerns about financial losses from medical and parental needs, and agreed on substantial salary increases. Details of the agreement will be forthcoming.”

The new contract is “fair and respectful,” said a spokesman for the American Federation of Teachers-Oregon, who said the graduate teaching fellows planned a noon rally at Matthew Knight Arena to celebrate the new contract.

Here’s the AFT news release on the settlement:

EUGENE, OREGON, DEC. 10, 2014 – It was a long and soggy 8-day-long strike, but the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation and the University of Oregon have agreed to a fair and respectful contract Dec. 10, 2014, after a 22-hour-long bargaining session.

GTFF and their supporters will be rallying to celebrate at Matthew Knight Arena at noon Dec. 10.

“The decision to strike was a serious undertaking, but necessary to put into practice fair policies for the benefit of employees and students,” AFT-Oregon President David Rives said. “The last two weeks have shown the power of collective action in the workplace. We look forward to our graduate employees returning to the classrooms and research labs.”

This new contract provides GTFs with fair wages and a hardship fund which is protected by language in the collectively bargained agreement, and can be grieved if an employee is denied reasonable access to the fund.

“I’m extremely proud of the graduate employees of GTFF,” Rives said. “This contract is a monumental achievement for workers across all campuses.”

There are more than 1,400 graduate workers employed by the University of Oregon.

Graduate workers and their supporters began their strike Dec. 2 and picketed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. rallying at Johnson Hall or Matthew Knight Arena immediately afterwards.

GTFs will return to work Dec. 10, 2014.