Hunter
09/30/22
The University of Iowa Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, is demanding higher raises for graduate student workers as their contract renewal comes up this January.
The Daily Iowan reports that COGS, as a labor union, represents all graduate workers on campus, and negotiates a new contract with the Board of Regents every two years. A law passed by the Iowa Legislature five years ago has made bargaining nearly impossible, according to sixth-year doctoral candidate Caleb Klipowicz. He tells the DI that regents can wait long enough for an outside arbiter to come in, legally required to choose between the lowest amount proposed or a calculated cost of living change.
COGS president Hannah Zadeh says that a proposed 2 percent raise similar to the one received in the last contract is essentially a pay cut, giving the rate of inflation. She adds that the union needs to build membership to increase their bargaining power.
Another COGS member says that they plan on negotiating with the Regents in good faith, but will stay true to what they want.
