UI graduate student union begins bargaining with Iowa Board of Regents team
The University of Iowa graduate student union is seeking a 25% increase in wages over the next two years, leaving the union's president and members dissatisfied at the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team's offer of annual 3% increases.
The Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, met with the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team Thursday to start negotiations for its 2025-2027 contract. Both groups brought initial proposals forward, with COGS expected to send a formal response signaling their dissatisfaction with the board team's offering in the near future.
Union President Cary Stough said the board bargaining team's suggested annual 3% increase in base salaries for the next two years for graduate students working as teaching and research assistants across campus is nowhere near the COGS request for a 25% increase over two years.
'We were not totally surprised, but we were disappointed,' Stough said. 'The crowd, at least when it was announced to them, were mixed with feelings of shame, anger, indignation, and we laughed because we knew that even after … presenting our months and months of research and data collecting, that they weren't going to listen to it at all.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
According to the union's current contract, the base salary rate for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $21,969 for a 50% academic year appointment and $26,841 for 50% fiscal year appointment.
Comparing the two organizations' initial proposals, Stough said the COGS contract was more than 25 pages compared to the less-than-five page document from the board bargaining team.
In addition to the salary increases, which Stough said reflect rising costs of living in Iowa City, the union is seeking to move the first day they receive a paycheck from Sept. 1 to Aug. 1 to help pay for moving costs, university fees and more, and putting language about paid time off back into the contract. Stough said information on paid time off was removed from the union contract in 2017 and put in the university's Student Employment Standards.
COGS included these topics in the proposed contract based on data from a bargaining survey the union sent to its members, Stough said.
Board of regents spokesperson Josh Lehman said in an email COGS members are valued by both the board and the university, and they recognize that graduate education is a vital part of both the university's work and mission and higher education in general.
'The university recognizes it must maintain the competitiveness of the UI's graduate assistantships, in order to continue to attract and retain excellent graduate students,' Lehman said in his email. 'In addition to the contract proposal, the university covers all or most of the tuition and health benefits for graduate assistant employees with an appointment of 25 percent or greater.'
About 100 union members and their supporters showed up for the bargaining session, Stough said, in order to show both the board and the state that they are an 'organizing force' that can coordinate quickly. Even with this showing, Stough said the union doesn't have faith in the board coming back with a proposal that meets all of their wants and needs.
Stough said the union will send a formal response to the board bargaining team early next week, and the next closed bargaining session is set for Feb. 20. They will also follow up with questions from union members who couldn't be in the room during bargaining and send them to the bargaining team.
'We will be satisfied when we have our meeting on the 20th and they come back to us with a robust, more than two-page contract with a lot of stuff we asked to put back in,' Stough said.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
16-07-2025
- Business Insider
Stable Dividend Puts Verizon Stock (VZ) on Bullish Growth Trajectory
It's been some time since Verizon Communications' (VZ) stock has put in a strong performance, and its generous dividend is what keeps it from looking even worse. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. For example, this year alone, VZ is up just 3% (around 9% when you factor in dividends), barely edging out the broader market. However, looking longer term, over the past three years, Verizon has declined by about 17%, which is nearly offset by dividends, during a period when the broader market delivered gains of more than 70%. As the U.S. telco sector shows clear signs of saturation and struggles with pricing power, the outlook remains bleak, not disastrous. However, it signals that Verizon is unlikely to accelerate revenue growth (especially above inflation) and will need to maintain tight cost control to preserve margins and continue generating strong cash flows. For now, an attractive and safe dividend yield, along with historically discounted valuations, keeps the investment case appealing. I still rate VZ as a Buy —especially if Treasury yields move lower, which would make the income angle even more compelling. With Q2 earnings set to be published on July 21st, I believe that any signs of ARPU stabilization and stronger pricing power—plus an earnings beat across the board—could be enough to help the stock move more consistently higher in the second half of the year. Verizon's Defensive Income Thesis Assuming that many investors defend the thesis of investing in Verizon as a defensive income payer with a mature business model, I believe it's crucial to highlight a few fundamentals that keep the core of this thesis healthy. The first point worth focusing on is real growth (inflation-adjusted) and profit quality (margins and cost control) as the backbone of the company's operational excellence. For example, in Q1 2025, Verizon's total revenues grew by 1.5%, while COGS increased by 1.4% over the same period. Considering that the latest U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) stands at 2.4%, this means revenue growth is actually running below inflation, implying a real drop in purchasing power, especially when factoring in a Q1 ARPU of $31.92, down 1.1% year-over-year. When adjusted for inflation, this suggests a real decline in Wireless retail core prepaid ARPU of around 3.5%. On the other hand, COGS growing below inflation has helped keep gross margins stable, at precisely 61% in both 1Q25 and 1Q24. So, at a minimum, for the income thesis to hold up, Verizon's solid base remains intact, supported by disciplined cost management and resilient margins, which in turn secure a healthy and attractive dividend yield of 6.5%. However, limited real growth and a declining ARPU highlight competitive pressure and weak pricing power, underscoring that the growth angle is more fragile, especially given the ongoing need for heavy infrastructure investment just to stay competitive. Free Cash Flow and Dividends Indicate Strong Finish in 2025 On the one hand, the trend for the year so far, given pricing headwinds and cost control measures, suggests stable operating cash flow, which should also translate to stable free cash flow, although not necessarily growing. However, Verizon's 2025 annual guidance indicates a midpoint that implies approximately 6% growth in CapEx—around $18 billion—while free cash flow is expected to increase by about 12.5% year-over-year, reaching the same $18 billion at the midpoint. What's interesting here is that revenue and EBITDA growth, at 2.4% and 2.75%, respectively, are significantly lower than the projected FCF growth, which suggests improved operational efficiency or better working capital management. This free cash flow growth (~12.5%) outpacing revenue and EBITDA growth hints at ongoing efficiencies driven by Verizon's well-established practices, like optimizing receivables cycles through prepaid plans and automatic debit, and managing supplier payments with longer terms to smooth out cash flow seasonality. Such robust cash flows support likely dividend payouts consistent with the company's historical payout ratio of about 58%, which today translates to a very attractive and, in my view, safe yield of around 6.5%. This is well above the current 10-year bond yields, below the trailing twelve months FCF yield of approximately 9.7%, and still leaves roughly 42% of free cash flow available for capital expenditures and debt reduction. What Verizon's Q2 Means for Investors If Verizon's business remains rock solid in terms of cash flow, why has the stock been drifting sideways or underperforming? In my view, the U.S. wireless market is clearly saturated, with no secular growth story, as Verizon's recent results show, revenues and ARPU are growing below inflation. Verizon also carries a high debt load, with about 63% of its capital structure financed by debt. While this is typical for a telco, it does limit flexibility in tighter credit conditions, such as those we currently have with higher interest rates. These two factors explain some of the market's skepticism around Verizon's outlook. Combine the lack of clear catalysts with sluggish growth and rising sector risks—from intense competition to disruptive technologies like Starlink—and Verizon could face additional pressure on pricing power over time. Still, looking ahead to Q2, expectations are for $33.7 billion in revenue (up 2.6% year-over-year) and a 3.4% EPS increase if Verizon beats the $1.19 consensus. Positive surprises—especially if ARPU stabilizes or declines less than anticipated—could spark renewed investor optimism and upside potential. Trading at a forward EV/EBITDA of around 11x—roughly 30% below the industry average and 6.7% below Verizon's own five-year historical average—Verizon could become a 6.5% dividend yield refuge if Treasury yields decline amid a slowing economy, attracting income-focused investors who value its historically compressed valuation multiples. Is Verizon a Buy, Hold, or Sell? Wall Street experts are currently split on Verizon's outlook. Over the past three months, of the 15 analysts covering the stock, seven are bullish and the other eight are neutral. Not a single analyst is currently bearish. Meanwhile, VZ's average stock price target stands at $47.92, implying about a 15% upside from the current share price. Why Verizon's Yield Still Commands Attention I believe Verizon remains an excellent choice for income-focused investors, offering a high, healthy, and stable yield that should stay steady at least throughout this year. Although long-term concerns about pricing power and disruption persist, much of that skepticism appears to be already priced into historically discounted valuations. Verizon enters Q2 in a relatively stable position, and I don't expect any major surprises, especially not negative ones. That said, signs of ARPU stabilization could boost confidence and help push growth toward the higher end of the company's annual guidance. For now, I see VZ as a Buy.
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business Insider
Welcome to the age of office paranoia, when layoffs, AI, and job insecurity are terrorizing workers
When Amber Smith, 28, had trouble submitting an IT support ticket, she quickly realized that her second layoff in one year had arrived. Before that, she was already jumpy. She'd be unnerved by everyday workplace tasks, like when her manager asked to hop on the phone on short notice, or a companywide meeting suddenly appeared on her calendar. It's a sign of the times as workplace power swings away from workers, and layoffs dominate headlines. While layoffs are still low relative to historic levels, they loom large in workers' minds. A miasma of new stresses is also permeating white-collar offices: the threat of AI taking jobs, stricter return-to-office pushes, and a new hardcore culture that's eroding work-life balance. There's also the hollowing out of middle managers, and the Great Flattening has left some with fear that they'll be next. "Workers are feeling disempowered," Michele Williams, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, said, adding that this trend reared its head during the 2008 recession and is now back again. "If the boss walks by and doesn't say 'hi,' are they planning to fire me, as opposed to the boss was just busy that day and just didn't notice you?" Williams said. "They're looking for these social cues and overinterpreting social cues because of that insecurity." It's what experts call " paranoid attribution," where employees read negative meaning into regular workplace occurrences. Do worse snacks mean the company is struggling financially? Is a warmer office a sign that management is cutting costs on air conditioning? Are more interns a good sign or a bad sign for the hiring budget? The fear isn't good for anyone — when employees are anxious, they probably also aren't doing their best work. The paranoia may be more psychological than based in reality. Overall, layoffs are still low and concentrated in white-collar sectors, especially at big-name companies that dominate headlines. While hiring has slowed in the last year, the unemployment rate is still relatively low, as well. However, it has gotten much more difficult to get a new white-collar job, and promotions have slowed way down. The paranoia over employment uncertainty pushed Smith out of the corporate world completely. These days, she's self-employed as a content creator and reseller. "I feel so much better because being self-employed, obviously, I'm not going to get laid off," Smith said. Monica Wiant, a 47-year-old copywriter in Minnesota, has completely changed her perspective on work and her career after getting laid off twice in two years. The first time she was laid off was the day that she had arranged a return-to-office party for the workers reporting to her. She was also coming off a glowing performance review in her role as a VP. "The day that I got that news, it was like going to the worst surprise party I've ever been to," Wiant said. In retrospect, she said, there were some warning signs. Budgets for her department kept getting reduced, and they were asked to do more with less. Advertising budgets shrank, and some hiring was paused. "I feel like so many companies have lost sight of how important the human experiences of their employees are. There's no place that's less motivating than a downsizing workplace," Wiant said. "It's really hard to go to work every day and to know that you may not have a future here no matter how hard you work." Have a story to share about a layoff or office paranoia? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@ How paranoia is reshaping workers and the workplace Mark Freeman, 65, has some advice after spending the last 25 or so years in supply chain technology and getting laid off twice throughout his career. "As soon as they say, 'don't worry, no one's going to get laid off,' you should get your résumé out there and start looking, because you can't believe them." He said he's learned it's important to be agile and constantly looking for other job opportunities; waiting until after a layoff will mean you're already behind. Attention on layoffs, as Business Insider's Tim Paradis writes, might bite into productivity amid worker unease. Williams said that workers become less engaged as their energy shifts from actually getting work done toward worrying and becoming hypervigilant. On the other hand, employees might also cling harder to old adages about becoming indispensable at work. This is what some Big Tech companies are hoping for when they place more emphasis on performance reviews in a shift toward a more "hardcore" management style. Williams said working harder is good advice when a promotion or raise seems realistic. "But if you push it to the extreme, you're going to have workers hoarding information and knowledge because then they become indispensable," she said. "But the sharing of that knowledge is what the organization needs to increase collaboration and innovation." Benjamin Friedrich, a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, said that, in isolation, workers might not be willing to put in extra effort if they feel their trust has been broken by their firms. Of course, Friedrich said, not all power is lost among workers right now: While the worker power pendulum is still swinging, the "amenities" of the Great Resignation and the pandemic era haven't faded completely. "If you look at the breadth and the coverage of remote work or what share of workers can work some of the time at home, it's been very stable," Friedrich said. By the time her second layoff rolled around, Wiant wasn't as surprised and was more attuned to those warning signs. While weathering two layoffs was far from pleasant, it's also made Wiant turn introspective. "I don't feel as deep of a need to have all of my needs met from work," Wiant said. "I realize that I can cultivate a sense of purpose and creative challenge and intellectual challenge from other things in my life."
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business Insider
Layoffs and AI Are Ushering in a New Age of Office Paranoia
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. When Amber Smith, 28, had trouble submitting an IT support ticket, she quickly realized that her second layoff in one year had arrived. Before that, she was already jumpy. She'd be unnerved by everyday workplace tasks, like when her manager asked to hop on the phone on short notice, or a companywide meeting suddenly appeared on her calendar. It's a sign of the times as workplace power swings away from workers, and layoffs dominate headlines. While layoffs are still low relative to historic levels, they loom large in workers' minds. Amber Smith dealt with two layoffs in two years. Courtesy of Amber Smith A miasma of new stresses is also permeating white-collar offices: the threat of AI taking jobs, stricter return-to-office pushes, and a new hardcore culture that's eroding work-life balance. There's also the hollowing out of middle managers, and the Great Flattening has left some with fear that they'll be next. "Workers are feeling disempowered," Michele Williams, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, said, adding that this trend reared its head during the 2008 recession and is now back again. "If the boss walks by and doesn't say 'hi,' are they planning to fire me, as opposed to the boss was just busy that day and just didn't notice you?" Williams said. "They're looking for these social cues and overinterpreting social cues because of that insecurity." It's what experts call "paranoid attribution," where employees read negative meaning into regular workplace occurrences. Do worse snacks mean the company is struggling financially? Is a warmer office a sign that management is cutting costs on air conditioning? Are more interns a good sign or a bad sign for the hiring budget? The fear isn't good for anyone — when employees are anxious, they probably also aren't doing their best work. The paranoia may be more psychological than based in reality. Overall, layoffs are still low and concentrated in white-collar sectors, especially at big-name companies that dominate headlines. While hiring has slowed in the last year, the unemployment rate is still relatively low, as well. However, it has gotten much more difficult to get a new white-collar job, and promotions have slowed way down. The paranoia over employment uncertainty pushed Smith out of the corporate world completely. These days, she's self-employed as a content creator and reseller. "I feel so much better because being self-employed, obviously, I'm not going to get laid off," Smith said. Monica Wiant, a 47-year-old copywriter in Minnesota, has completely changed her perspective on work and her career after getting laid off twice in two years. The first time she was laid off was the day that she had arranged a return-to-office party for the workers reporting to her. She was also coming off a glowing performance review in her role as a VP. Monica Wiant has been on a career journey. Courtesy of Monica Wiant "The day that I got that news, it was like going to the worst surprise party I've ever been to," Wiant said. In retrospect, she said, there were some warning signs. Budgets for her department kept getting reduced, and they were asked to do more with less. Advertising budgets shrank, and some hiring was paused. Related stories Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know "I feel like so many companies have lost sight of how important the human experiences of their employees are. There's no place that's less motivating than a downsizing workplace," Wiant said. "It's really hard to go to work every day and to know that you may not have a future here no matter how hard you work." Have a story to share about a layoff or office paranoia? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@ How paranoia is reshaping workers and the workplace Mark Freeman, 65, has some advice after spending the last 25 or so years in supply chain technology and getting laid off twice throughout his career. "As soon as they say, 'don't worry, no one's going to get laid off,' you should get your résumé out there and start looking, because you can't believe them." He said he's learned it's important to be agile and constantly looking for other job opportunities; waiting until after a layoff will mean you're already behind. Mark Freeman recommends being agile. Courtesy of Mark Freeman Attention on layoffs, as Business Insider's Tim Paradis writes, might bite into productivity amid worker unease. Williams said that workers become less engaged as their energy shifts from actually getting work done toward worrying and becoming hypervigilant. On the other hand, employees might also cling harder to old adages about becoming indispensable at work. This is what some Big Tech companies are hoping for when they place more emphasis on performance reviews in a shift toward a more "hardcore" management style. Williams said working harder is good advice when a promotion or raise seems realistic. "But if you push it to the extreme, you're going to have workers hoarding information and knowledge because then they become indispensable," she said. "But the sharing of that knowledge is what the organization needs to increase collaboration and innovation." Benjamin Friedrich, a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, said that, in isolation, workers might not be willing to put in extra effort if they feel their trust has been broken by their firms. Of course, Friedrich said, not all power is lost among workers right now: While the worker power pendulum is still swinging, the "amenities" of the Great Resignation and the pandemic era haven't faded completely. "If you look at the breadth and the coverage of remote work or what share of workers can work some of the time at home, it's been very stable," Friedrich said. By the time her second layoff rolled around, Wiant wasn't as surprised and was more attuned to those warning signs. While weathering two layoffs was far from pleasant, it's also made Wiant turn introspective. "I don't feel as deep of a need to have all of my needs met from work," Wiant said. "I realize that I can cultivate a sense of purpose and creative challenge and intellectual challenge from other things in my life." Do you have a story to share about workplace paranoia? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@
