AFT Online Survey

GEO 2008 Bargaining Survey

Welcome to the GEO bargaining survey for the 2007-2008 round of contract negotiations. Along with one-on-one conversations, larger meetings and discussions, this survey will help us know what issues are important to you as a member of GEO so that we can incorporate your concerns into the next bargaining platform. You can also get more involved in developing this platform by contacting GEO directly (umgeo@umich.edu) or by contacting your department's steward.

In addition to some basic demographic information, this survey is divided into five substantive parts: Wages & Summer Funding, Healthcare, Other Benefits, Working Conditions, and Child Care. (If you don't have children, you can feel free to skip the section on childcare if you like. Otherwise though, we ask that you respond to as many of the questions as you can.) Our thanks in advance for your valuable time and input.

Wages and Summer Funding

* 1. Describe your current employment/support status at the university

GSI
GSSA
GSRA
Fellowship
No employment
Temporary/hourly work

2. What is your current employment fraction?

No fraction .05 .1 .15 .2 .25 .3 .35 .5 .6 .75 1.0

* 3. Does your department pay more than the minimum salary guanteed under the GEO contract?

Yes No Don't know

* 4. Check all that apply for the periods when you were employed as a GSI/GSSA:

I am currently borrowing to meet my monthly expenses.
I have previously borrowed to meet my monthly expenses.
I rely on money other than my university funding package (employment, stipend, fellowship) to afford basic and normal living expenses.
My GSI/GSSA wages are/were sufficient to meet my expenses.

5. What other sources of funding (if any) do you currently rely on to supplement your income while you are working?

Credit cards
Family/parental contributions
Loans
Secondary employment
Support from a spouse or partner
Other (including savings)

6. Other than yourself, how many people rely on your wages as a GSI or GSSA for all or some of their living expenses? (Please include people you support who do not necessarily live with you)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7+

* 7. Do you feel that you make enough as a GSI or GSSA to afford basic and normal living expenses?

yes no

* 8. Do you feel that you make enough as a GSI or GSSA to afford professional expenses? (i.e. conferences, membership to professional associations....)

yes no

9. List sources of summer funding, if any, that you have relied on while studying at Michigan.

GSI appointment
GSSA appointment
GRSA appointment
Non-UM academic appointment
University employment (not a fraction appointment)
Non-university, non-academic job
Fellowship
Internship/Professional training
Summer stipend from your department
Family/spouse/partner support
Loans/credit cards
Other (including savings)

* 10. During past summers, have you had university funding that was sufficient to meet your monthly expenses?

yes no sometimes

11. Futher comments on wages or summer funding:

Healthcare

12. Please rank the following 5 issues in order of importance, where 1 is the most important of the items listed and 5 the least important:

* a) Low copays for prescription drugs

1 2 3 4 5

* b) Stability of prescription drug tiers

1 2 3 4 5

* c) Low copays for office/hospital visists

1 2 3 4 5

* d) Accessibility/coverage of mental health services

1 2 3 4 5

* e) Accessibility of out of network services

1 2 3 4 5

13. Have you experienced difficulty in obtaining any of the following services?

Office visits to a healthcare provider
Emergency room visits
Referrals for specialists
Mental health services
Rehabilitation/physical therapy

What was the nature of the difficulty?

* 14. How important is coverage for chronic mental healthcare for you?

* 15. Have you ever tried to access your mental health benefits? If no, skip to comments on healthcare or question 19.

yes no

16. How user-friendly did you find the mental healthcare system?

17. Did you feel that your your mental healthcare provided you with sufficient treatment?

yes no

18. Did you feel that the quality of mental healthcare you received was adequate?

yes no

19. Futher comments on healthcare:

Other benefits

20. Please indicate in which other benefits programs you participate:

Basic dental care plan (option 1)
Optional dental care plan (options 2 & 3)
Athletic/Recreational facilities (i.e. CCRB, NCRB...)
Optional vision care plan
Optional life insurance plan
Optional legal coverage
Healthcare flexible spending account
Dependent care flexible spending account

21. Have you previously paid to use the athletic/recreational facilities when you are neither enrolled nor employed?

yes no

22. If you did not have to pay, would you use the campus athletic/recreational facilities when neither enrolled nor employed?

yes no maybe

23. Further comments on other benefits:

Working Conditions

* 24. Do you have adequate time to complete your employment duties? (i.e. are deadlines reasonable?)

Almost always Sometimes Almost never

* 25. Do you have a forum for expressing concerns to your supervisor(s)?

yes no

* 26. Has your employment paperwork (i.e. fraction calculation, tuition reimbursement, healthcare authorization) been completed in a timely manner?

Generally yes Sometimes Generally no

27. Please rate your satisfaction with the following aspects of your working conditions:

* a) Access to printing services/facilities