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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances 'Everyone has a story' Since You Asked: Are those flowers real or plastic? Get Up & Go: Dec. 14 Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Lawsuits claim sexual assault and whistle-blower retaliation at OnTrack Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital Emergency services Jail lobby commotion sends man back to cell 30 minutes after release Politics and Elections Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means East Medford's the charm Education St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament A lesson in giving Hedrick student council works to clean up the language Table Rock solid: Elementary school praised for keeping attendance up Eagle Point superintendent invited to White House Environment No fish, no funding for problem dams Most residents speak against gas pipeline Coalition asks for defense of GMO ban Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River State News As deadline nears, Oregon's health insurance signups still low Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital GMO labeling proponents concede defeat Tribes can decide whether to legalize pot Lawyer says football player had altercation Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Diana DeVoe Logan Ronald Bombick In Memory of Richard Eugene Snyder Rudy Giorgetti Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Comets fall short against tough 4A champs Singleton basket lifts North over Wilson Spartans race to early lead in win Portland finishes off Indiana for win Phoenix’s Rubio wins title at Coast Classic Varsity 541 College Sports Mariota takes Heisman in landslide Brooks, Oregon beat Illinois Navy makes it 13 in a row over Army Oregon State downs Mississippi State Fifteen things to consider about the NAIA championship Pro Sports Spartans race to early lead in win Portland finishes off Indiana for win Day, Tringale win Franklin Templeton Shootout Pistons snap 13-game losing streak Knicks’ Anthony says he won’t drop no-trade clause Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate Blog: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like... K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks State lags on grocery inspections Blog: Bear Creek Plaza next up on the market Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 People in Business, Nov. 18 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Our View: Dana Milbank: The coarsening of politics George Will: The cheerfulness of tax reform Charles Krauthammer: A travesty of a report Editorials Our View: Other Views: Riley leaves strong legacy at OSU Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Sentencing reform pays dividends Our View: Find middle ground on timber policy Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 12 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 11 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 10 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 9 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Guest Opinion: It's time Oregon put a price on carbon Lifestyle Latest stories Give time as your holiday present The cure for nostalgia — Embrace it Community blog: Saving Lives Barry Lewis: Getting into the holiday shopping spirit Play local, pay local Food Community blog: Gobble gougeres as appetizers or with light meals Community blog: Choose presents cooks can cherish, not regift Roasted vegetables are rich, flavorful Food for Thought: Meal-planning hacks to help you dine fast and healthy Kitchen Call: Hints for gluten-free holidays Home and Garden Rogue Valley Christmas light displays Remodeling your attic: Know the details before you start Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Troubleshoot common water boiler problems Health Community blog: Saving Lives Health Watch: Curb your kitchen cravings this holiday season Community blog: Unsubscribe.com Community blog: Redefining Family Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Pope aims to expedite sex abuse rulings Milestones and Achievements Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances Time running out for O&C funds Hire 'em and pray for snow Madi-Stiles A New Song Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories TMTO's 'Christmas Carol' a big, warmhearted extravaganza Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Live Music in Local Clubs Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Meet the real Jacob Marley Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Theater review: 'Fiddler' charms audience in magical Camelot performance Music Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Handel's 'Messiah' set for this weekend Live Music in Local Clubs Bob Haworth plays EdenVale Winery Community Events Rogue Valley Christmas light displays It's a Hamazon holiday at the Playwright Public House 4 Things to do this Week Soroptimist holiday home tour features four houses this weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Dining Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Brunch at Loft Brasserie The Bohemian Club Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances ... Our View: ... Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future ... Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances ... Our View: ... Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future ... LABOR DISPUTE University of Oregon teaching assistants strike Disagreement over medical leave comes at busy end of term By Diane Dietz Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Diane Dietz Eugene Register-Guard Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am By Diane Dietz Eugene Register-Guard Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation is beginning a strike today for the first time in the labor union’s 38 years on the University of Oregon campus. About 500 of the teaching fellows — known as “GTFs” — and their supporters kicked off the strike Monday evening in a 1½-hour rally in the dark and rain in front of Johnson Hall, the university’s administration building. The mood was raucous, with a lot of call and response led by a succession of local politicians and state labor leaders. “Are you ready for a fight?” “Damn right!” The 1,500 graduate teachers, who provide about one-third of the instruction to undergraduate students, are walking off the job today in the last two weeks of fall term — just when the quarterly pile-up of papers, exams and final grades comes due. Picket lines will be stationed today at various campus buildings, said Steve McAllister, a biology doctoral student and union bargaining team member. The GTFs went into a last-ditch mediation session with UO officials on Monday with a sense of optimism, McAllister said. The dispute had winnowed down to a single issue — the union’s demand for two weeks of paid medical and parental leave. University bargainers proposed a way out in the form of creating a $150,000 graduate student hardship fund that students could tap for $1,000 or $1,500 in the case of illness or the birth of a child. The rub: The university refused to write the specifics of how the hardship fund would operate, including details about eligibility, into the proposed two-year contract, union leaders said. The fund would be for all graduate students, and not just those with fellowships. “The university is working to keep the fund accessible for all, and placing it completely in the collective bargaining agreement hinders the ability to maintain equity,” UO spokesman Tobin Klinger said in an email. UO interim President Scott Coltrane issued a statement, saying in part that the university has made every effort to find a solution. “I care deeply about each student and employee here,” he said. “I was hopeful every day that this could be avoided. Unfortunately, the bargaining teams met (Monday) and could not reach an agreement.” Coltrane also said the university’s work will continue and assured students that their education remains the top priority. “Final exams will be held and graded, and grades will be entered,” he said. “And we will all look forward toward winter term.” The university did not clarify why it doesn’t support detailing the hardship fund operations in the contract for the GTFs, and then administering the fund for those graduate students without fellowships in an identical manner. The graduate student federation is adamant that the terms belong in a legally enforceable contract, McAllister said. “What we basically have today is they’ve said, ‘Hey, we’ll do this great program for you’ and we’ve said, ‘Great. Do you promise?’ And they’ve said, ‘Well, no. We don’t.’ We can’t take that,” he said. Kurt Willcox, a campus labor leader and a member of the UO Board of Trustees, told the crowd he is angry that the UO didn’t agree to a deal. “All they had to do was sign the agreement,” Willcox told the crowd packed into the plaza in front of Johnson Hall, which spilled out onto East 13th Avenue and also churned the Johnson Hall lawn into muck. Mayor Kitty Piercy, City Councilor Claire Syrett and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson spoke in support of the GTFs. “We believe people should be able to stay home when they are sick and not lose anything for doing so,” Piercy said. Teamsters representative Leonard Stoehr said people don’t generally associate his union with higher learning. But “as far as we’re concerned, you’ve got graduate students handcuffed to their cubicles grading papers for 12, 14, 16 hours without fair wages and fair benefits,” Stoehr said. “It’s a sweatshop like any other sweatshop.” Jim Salt, president of the Lane Community College faculty union, said he resents that the UO looked to LCC teachers to take over the GTFs’ classes in the event of a strike. He said he was a member of the GTF federation in the mid-1980s, when the union was seeking medical benefits and staged a sit-in at Johnson Hall in the president’s office. “We won’t take your jobs. We won’t cross your picket line,” he said to a chorus of “thank-yous” from the crowd. Ron Bramhall of United Academics, the UO faculty union, thanked the GTFs for “setting the stage. We’re going to be bargaining in the spring. We’re going to have the same conversation.” He added: “I will not cross the picket line. I will not do your work. I will be walking with you (today).” Carla McNally, a university leader with the Service Employees International Union, said some of the 1,700 UO classified workers have been asked by the administration to go to GTF-led classes today and take attendance or do other GTF jobs. The classified members may have to do some of those things, she said, “but guess what? We’ll be out here before our shift, after our shift, during our lunch and on our breaks to support the grad students in this fight with the university administration.” By Diane Dietz Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Diane Dietz Eugene Register-Guard Posted Dec. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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