Bargaining Since 2003
The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 6,000 Teaching assistants (TAs), Graduate Assistants (GAs), Pre-Professional Graduate Assistants (PGAs), and Research Assistants (RAs) on the UIUC Campus. With an active presence in the community, the GEO works for high-quality and accessible public education in Illinois.
Furthermore, the GEO is the official venue through which TAs, GAs, PGAs, and RAs can negotiate with the University Administration over their healthcare, wages, and other working conditions.
Since unionizing, UIUC graduate employees through the GEO have pushed for and won better stipends, improvements in health insurance, and other benefits.
Why should i join the geo?
There is strength in numbers. Through a strong and active membership, the GEO has made significant improvements in graduate employee working conditions. The most significant improvements include: increased stipends, dental insurance, vision care, a full subsidy of the McKinley Fee, a partial subsidy of student insurance, partial dependent health insurance coverage, and strong protections against overwork, discrimination, and arbitrary discipline.
Furthermore, members, and only members, run the GEO. Becoming a member empowers you to have a voice in your union and your working conditions.
GEO is a wide, welcoming community and a safe space for all.
If you are interested in becoming a member, visit our Join Page to sign a membership card or email us at geo@uigeo.org
weingarten rights
As the member of a union, you have Weingarten Rights that allow you to have a union steward or representative with you in a meeting with management if you think the meeting could lead to discipline action (i.e. getting suspended/fired) being taken against them.
You can use the below text to invoke your Weingarten Right.
“If the discussion in this meeting could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated or impact on my personal working conditions, I request that my steward, local officer or union representative be present. Until my union representative is present, I respectfully choose not to participate. This is my right under a Supreme Court decision called Weingarten.”
how can i get involved in the geo?
You can be an active member by:
Signing a GEO membership card
Attending General Member Meetings (GMMs) and voting
Distributing GEO flyers, shirts, etc.
Contacting your department steward (and becoming one yourself!) to help organize and inform your department
Becoming a member of a GEO committee, or just pitching in to help with planning, organizing, publicizing, and other activities
I want to talk to an officer in the union.
Officers are GEO members who help run the union. Your officers are always happy and available to help you work on any project or organize around any goal you might have.
Co-Presidents
Aaron Councilman & Rohit Ananthanarayana: cc@uigeo.org
Grievance co-Officers
Alex Green & Allison Woosley: grievance@uigeo.org
Stewards’ Council Co-Chairs
Fi Keane, Freddy Hancock, & co-chair: sc@uigeo.org
Communications Officer
Sandra Voskoboynikova: commcomm@uigeo.org
Co-Treasurers
Alex Taylor & co-chair: treasurer@uigeo.org
Officers-at-Large
Arthur Paganini: officer1@uigeo.org
Aline Leite Vilela D’Oliveira: officer2@uigeo.org
SECRETARY
Brooke Kadel: secretary@uigeo.org
Solidarity co-chair
Emma Walters & co-chair: solcomm@uigeo.org
Bargaining Team
RA Unionization Working Group
STAFF
Andrea Herrera (Staff Organizer):
andreaherrera@uigeo.org
Lesley Owens (Staff Organizer):
lesleyowens@uigeo.org
Questions for your Union?
If you have any questions not answered on this website that you’d like to submit to the GEO, please fill out the form below.