The Board of Regents will meet virtually with the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (United Electrical Workers Local 896) to discuss their initial bargaining proposals in preparation for the upcoming negotiations over the 2021-2023 successor collective bargaining agreement.

The Iowa Board of Regents is a group of nine volunteers who govern Iowa’s three state universities as well as two special K-12 entities. Under Chapter 20 of Iowa Code, one duty of the Board of Regents is to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with unions within the regents’ sphere of influence. 

UE Local 896 – COGS is a labor union located in Iowa City that aims to protect fair working conditions for graduate employees of the University of Iowa, according to the COGS Constitution. 

During the meeting, representatives from UE Local 896 – COGS will put forth their initial bargaining proposal for the 2021-2023 contract. The current contract, which expires June 30, 2021, contains salary increases for certain employees and establishes minimum salaries for each year. Collective bargaining between the union and the Board of Regents takes place every two years. 

Representatives from the state of Iowa, the University of Iowa and the Board of Regents will present their initial bargaining proposal after the first bargaining session closes, according to the agenda sent out Feb. 3. This is the first and only contract negotiation session available to the public; any agreement reached will be voted on by the Board of Regents at a future meeting.

The meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 9 and a livestream will be available on the Board of Regents website at www.iowaregents.edu. There will also be a recording available on the board’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/IowaRegents.