Dan Clark, President, Mathematics Education

Claire Yates, VP of Organizing & Outreach, Teacher Education

James Holly Jr., VP of Contract Negotiations & Enforcement, Mechanical Engineering

Elizabeth Kenyon, Information Officer, Teacher Education

Amber True, Treasurer, English

GEU, as part of the Coalition of Labor Organizations at Michigan State University (CLO) sponsors the voluntary vision program, which is administered by Michigan Employee Benefit Services (MEBS), a Michigan-based company.

To enroll, go to https://tpaenrollment.com.  This website is open only during the enrollment period of March 1 to May 31, 2012.  Some documents that might be of assistance are:

• MEBS Open Enrollment Employee Letter
• Volunteer Vision Plan Rates
• Vision Plan Enrollment Form

All inquiries about the vision program should be directed to MEBS.  Call 1-800-968-6327 and select option 6, or email billingmail@mebs.com.

GTA Tuition Waiver Pool Application and Details

Keep in mind, once you are awarded extra tuition waiver credits, they cannot be awarded to someone else.  So please be responsible and courteous to your fellow TAs when you apply.

Visit www.mysmilecoverage.com/MSUGA to enroll.

What does the new plan look like? Click this link: GradAsstDentalPlan for a PDF of rates and benefits.

Glossy brochures are en route, but in short, if you are a TA or RA, it will be $128.64 for 12 months of coverage. This includes 2 exams, cleanings, x-rays and as many fillings as you need (hopefully none) with no additional cost. Crowns and extractions are covered at 80% with a $25 co-pay. If you need to see someone pretty quick – you can make an appointment now with any Delta PPO dentist.
Click here to find a PPO dentist near East Lansing.

Vision Insurance is BACK!

Open enrollment for the popular optional vision plan is once again upon us.

Enrollment will be open from Aug 1 – Sept 30, 2011 for a November 2011 start date. This is a 2 year commitment. Payroll deduction is available. This is a special enrollment period for GEU members only, so you will need to fill out a paper application and fax or mail it to MEBS.

Brochure w-rates 7.1.11
GEU Vision Enrollment Form

This year’s GEU Outstanding Supervisor is Stephanie Nawyn from the Department of Sociology, and English has been chosen as the GEU Outstanding Department. Read more details about the award here or read the State News article about the winners here.

Stephanie Nawyn (Sociology) and GEU President Sam Otten

Sam Otten with Stephen Arch and Stephen Rachman (English)

Congratulations and thank you, also, to the other nominees.

The new contract, once ratified by the MSU Board of Trustees, will take effect May 16 2011 and remain in effect until May 15 2015. Below are the highlights. Click here for a more detailed list of negotiated changes.

• ECONOMICS
  • Stipends: 1.5% lump first year, 2%/2%/1% increases subsequent years
  • Dental: New plan with Delta Dental
    • $257 annual premium, 50% paid by MSU
    • 100% coverage, no deductible, no co-pay on preventative care
    • 80% coverage after deductible on oral surgery and crowns
    • Spouse/OEI eligible to enroll
    • Over 90% of dentists in Michigan are in-network; there is also a nationwide network
  • Health Care
    • Elimination of pre-existing conditions clause
    • Increase in per-injury/per-illness cap to $250,000
    • Increase in prescription cap to $25,000
    • Increase in spouse/child contributions to $2200/$2300/$2400/$2500
    • Elimination of cap on OEI enrollment
  • Tuition Waiver
    • Creation of a 100 credit annual fund for TAs with required credits over 9/9/5
    • Establishment of a joint workgroup to improve the coverage and cost-effectiveness of the tuition waiver
  • College of Engineering Fees: deferred by two months
• NON-ECONOMICS
  • Parking: Retained in contract
  • Workload: notification of changes to class size, inclusion of travel time as work
  • TA-Specific Evaluation (SIRS)
  • Full access to workspace
  • Access to confidential meeting space
  • Right to miss work for Martin Luther King Day
  • Clarification of extended bereavement leave
  • Update in parental leave language
  • Update in anti-harassment language
  • Improvements to and continuing GEU input on Appointment Letters
  • Inclusion of GEU on SIAG
  • Clarification of timekeeping procedures
  • Notification to GEU of terminations
• MISCELLANY
  • Appointment periods, covering summer
  • Dues authorization cards with offers of employment
  • Monthly to biweekly
  • When people don’t get paid, we go to the state

GEU members will have an opportunity to vote whether or not to accept this Tentative Agreement.

If the members (and the MSU Board of Trustees) vote to approve the Tentative Agreement, it will become a Contract. If they vote not to approve the Tentative Agreement, the GEU Bargaining Team will head back to the table to continue negotiating on behalf of the GEU members. A failure to ratify means that all tentative agreements are void and the negotiations begin anew.

In either case, we need your full support as GEU members and your presence at GEU events, meetings, and actions.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we will be having a Membership Meeting to discuss the Agreement. Please come and lend your voice to the conversation. GEU is you.

WHAT: GEU Membership Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, April 19, 6:00pm
WHERE: Anthony Hall 1279
RSVP at the facebook event: http://www.facebook.co/event.php?eid=108575645895537

Stay tuned for details… and plan to attend the General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, April 19th, 6:00pm, 1279 Anthony Hall.