Loving the Tier 1 Attitude

The GTFF filed a grievance against the Art Department for violating the hell out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and their own internal policies. Like I always, I spent hours putting the grievance together, gathering facts, talking with our members, trying to settle with the UO. We had a Step 3 meeting with the UO's grievance officer for the GTFF. I presented a half hour of argument, the UO's representative from the Grad School did the same. At the end, the grievance officer from the UO asks each side to submit written statements. I indicate that I am going on vacation, but will come into the office to write something up. The Grad School agrees to write up a statement. The UO's grievance officer indicates he's going to need more than e working days to read all this and come up with a decision. We all agree that he can take another week.

I spent four hours crafting a six-page argument detailing each contract violation. The UO's representative from the Grad School was out sick, but she, too, came in and spent some time making careful arguments about the case. Her document was also about six pages, with many pages of supporting documents.

We got the decision yesterday and, aside from some boilerplate, here is the judgment that the UO's grievance officer came to after carefully weighing the twelve pages of argument, plus the supporting documents, detailing ten allegations of contract violation:

The GTFF alleged that the Art Department failed to give preference to applicants who are further advanced in the program. However, there are other factors that are also given special consideration with respect to assignments such as a student’s special skills. Therefore, it was not proven that the Art Department failed to give preference to applicants who are further advanced in the program.

Lesson learned.