COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Updates, Cops Off Campus Rally, CLC Town Hall & More
Table of Contents:
Announcements
COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Update
On Thursday September 24th, the COVID Impact Bargaining Team met with the UIUC Administration. Our biggest win of the session is that the administration confirmed that, just like faculty, union-represented grad workers will NOT be required to complete telework agreements!
The Impact Bargaining Team (IBT) continued to bargain . . .
For union representation on COVID-19 decision-making committees, including the COVID-19 Executive Steering Committee and SHIELD.
For grad worker choice regarding whether they will be able to work on campus or work remotely. While the administration did not bring the policy language they had promised on this issue, IBT offered to draft the language for the administration’s review.
For a tech subsidy to cover expenses grad workers incurred upgrading and replacing their own technology for work purposes during the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semester. While the administration still resisted this request, the IBT is working on possible alternative routes for covering grad worker costs.
Additionally, IBT brought up member concerns regarding the Technology Loan Program. Some workers have reported that their tech requests were denied, that their tech arrived late in the semester, that their tech arrived damaged or that they received the incorrect technology, or that they were required to visit campus to pick up tech instead of getting it delivered to their homes as the program initially stated. The administration expressed concern about these issues and claimed they would look into them.
COVID-19 Testing Noncompliance
If you got a scary email regarding noncompliance with the saliva testing requirements, don’t panic! Many students who are compliant received that email by error. If you have questions about this email, please contact covidwellness@illinois.edu or 217-333-1900. In the meantime, everyone should continue taking proper precautions, and those required to get tested for campus access should do so.
If you are facing discipline due to noncompliance or if your request for exemption from testing was unfairly denied, contact the Grievance Committee at grievance@uigeo.org.
GEO Disability Caucus
The GEO Disability Caucus is up and running / wheeling! If you identify as Disabled and would like to join organizing efforts around the needs of Disabled graduate workers, please contact aacker02@gmail.com!
Image description: Over a light gray background, blue type at the top of the flyer reads: "Join the conversation!" Below that, large purple type reads: "GEO Disability Caucus." Below that, black type reads: Are you a graduate worker with a disability? Are you interested in organizing around our needs? Email aacker02@gmail.com for more information! At the bottom left corner, a cartoon figure with dark skin, pink hair, and a big smile is signing "yes" in ASL, and a large pink "YES!" appears over their head. At the bottom right corner is colorful confetti. In the top left corner is the purple and white GEO logo.
SEIU73 and INA Nurses Strike at UIC Ends in Victory for Workers!
Nurses represented by the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) service workers of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73, which also represents food and building service workers at UIUC, are victorious after a 10-day strike at the University of Illinois-Chicago! They were on strike over the administration’s poor handling of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as issues like fair wages, hazard pay, and hospital staffing numbers. Their new contract includes pay increases for all workers, including a $15 minimum wage for those on the lowest pay scale, better health and safety protocols, increased staffing, and protections against job outsourcing. See SEIU's website for more information on this huge victory for the Illinois labor movement! A contingent of GEO members was proud to join their picket lines earlier this month during the strike.
[Image Description: Masked workers of SEIU73, INA, and GEO stand together in solidarity during the 10-day strike at the UI-Chicago campus. Workers are standing in front of lush green trees, wearing purple shirts with yellow accents representing SEIU’s colors, and holding signs reading “On Strike!” and “Racism is a Public Health Crisis.”
Community Town Federation (CTF) in Dhaka, Bangladesh
For years now, the GEO Solidarity Committee has been developing relationships and supporting worker’s unions and social movements in Dhaka, Bangladesh, thanks to a GEO member whose academic fieldwork is based there. One of these movements is the Community Town Federation (CTF), which is a women-led community organization of city-wide informal settlement (‘slum’) dwellers. The CTF is raising funds to support women urban farmers and community members. These farmers and daily-wage earners fall among the millions of Bangladeshis who lost jobs and have no source of income due to COVID-19. Many of these women are coping with food insecurity by relying on their existing urban farming practices to feed and sustain themselves.
They have an active fundraiser here, and the Solidarity Committee has made a small contribution. Although they have already exceeded their initial goal, we strongly encourage members to donate what they can and share their fundraiser within their networks. Also, be on the lookout for further updates from SolComm on this effort, and the possibility of a virtual conversation or panel between GEO members and organizers within the CTF and Bangladeshi workers movement about unionism, mutual-aid, and the importance of internationalism and solidarity in the context of widespread austerity and the global pandemic.
GEO Mutual Aid Solidarity Fund Update: THANK YOU!!
As part of our efforts to support all workers across campus, GEO's Mutual Aid Working Group is facilitating a Cross-Campus Mutual Aid Solidarity Fund. Last week, we raised more than $1,500 and are distributing these funds to 21 workers. We could not have done this without your contributions, so thank you! Please continue to share information about the fund and donate if you are able. Any campus worker, regardless of union affiliation, can request support from this fund for any financial need. Check out our website for more information and instructions on how to request funds or donate to support other workers! And if you’d like to get involved with the Mutual Aid Working Group—which coordinates solidarity fund efforts, mask distribution, and other related efforts—please contact geo@uigeo.org for more information.
Image description: Two hands holding a mask with the words “GEO MUTUAL AID” written on it.
Campus Labor Coalition COVID-19 Town Hall Notes & Press Coverage
Thank you to everyone who attended the Campus Labor Coalition COVID-19 Town Hall! Although the administration did not show up, 70 workers, students, and community members did show up to share our concerns with UIUC's COVID-19 response. It is this solidarity that will help us build power to achieve safe working and living conditions at UIUC and Champaign-Urbana. When we fight together, we win! You can see notes from the town hall here. Here is some press coverage of the event from: Lee Gaines at Illinois Newsroom, Ben Zigterman at the News-Gazette, and Evan Hensley at Fox Illinois.
Events
No Cuts, No Cops, No Union Busting: Organizing for Power in Public Higher Education
Join public higher education workers on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7 PM CT as we learn from each other about how to organize for rank and file unions and strong coalitions to win demands and claim a shared democratic People First vision of public higher education. (Featuring a GEO member & People First, Cancel Debt committee leader!) Register here and you will receive a link.
Cops off Campus UIUC: Rally and March
Thursday, October 1st marks the beginning of the University of California’s Cops off Campus initiative, in which organizers across the UC system work toward the goal of getting all cops off of all University of California campuses by September 1st, 2021.
Join us for a solidarity rally and march on Thursday, October 1st, at 5 PM CT to let the University of Illinois know that we want cops off campus and the university to sever all ties with harmful institutions of policing. Join the Facebook event here and follow #DefundUIPD on Twitter here.
Feel free to check out details below. Bring pots, lids, and/or spoons—and/or other instruments such as horns, tambourines, or drums—to make some noise in this cacerolazo-style event. Masks required.
And be sure to check out related cops-off-campus programming on 10/1 in the image below.
See you there!
What: Rally and march from UIPD to UI Police Training Institute
When: Thursday, October 1st.Rally: 5.00pMarch: ~6.00p
Who: You! Event organized by Defund UIPD, a GEO working group and coalition of UIUC students, faculty, and workers working toward the defunding and ultimate abolition of police on our campuses.
Where: Event begins at 5.00p at University of Illinois Police Department HQ (1110 W. Springfield Ave. x Goodwin). We will march across campus to the University of Illinois Police Training Institute at 1004 S. 4th St (4th St. x Chalmers)
**If you’d like more detailed route information for accessibility needs, please contact us
Why: We demand that UIUC divest from its $8 million+ budget in policing and invest in Black lives, UI students, and the broader C-U community. We work in solidarity with Cops Off UC and movements across the nation to get cops off campus.
Image description: A hot pink flyer with the text "Cops Off Campus" in big, bold, yellow, street art-style font appears against a black diamond rimmed with a teal border. The text at the top of the flyer reads "Defund UIPD / In solidarity with University of California's Cops Off Campus.” Text at the bottom reads October 1 / 5pm / U of I Police Department HQ (Springfield / Goodwin). Small yellow and teal triangles and diamonds appear around the central Cops Off Campus text.
Image description: Defund UIPD flyer with big, bold, red Defund UIPD header up top. Text that reads "Rally & March to get Cops off Our Campus" appears below. Event information appears in bold yellow type, bold white type, and non-bold white type below: October 1st, 5.00 PM CT. Location: University of Illinois Police Department1110 W. Springfield Ave (and Goodwin). Bring pots, pot lids, and/or spoons to make noise in our cacerolazo. Contact us for accessibility needs. Masks required. Background of flyer appears to be black, crumpled paper.
Image description: Cops Off Campus flyer with big, bold, red Cops Off Campus header up top. Text that reads "Oct 1 IL Statewide Day of Action" appears below. A vertical yellow bar with red notches appears below, serving as a sort of event timeline throughout the day. The following events appear to the right of the bar. 3.00p-5.00p: AMA with newly hired UIPD chief Alice Cary: We have questions for you. Flood the chief with questions. 5.00p: Rally and March: Meet at UIPD 1110 W. Springfield Ave (and Goodwin). 7.00-8.30p: #PoliceFreeSchools: Learning from a Growing Movement cas.illinois.edu/node/2474. 7.00p-8.30p Oct. 2nd: Organizing for #PoliceFreeSchools workshop. Registration required: bit.ly/3i48Gl1. Background of flyer appears to be black, crumpled paper. #CopsOffCampus appears in shadowed font in lower-right background.
Towards a People’s Budget at UIUC: Analyzing our University’s Finances
Please join us on Friday Oct. 2 at 10 AM CT as we examine our University’s finances and budgetary priorities with one of the nation’s leading experts in the field. Dr. Bunsis’s presentation, and the discussion to follow, will equip UIUC workers, students, and community members with the tools and knowledge to advocate for an approach to our campus budget that puts people first.
With Dr. Howard Bunsis, Professor of Accounting at Eastern Michigan University
Presented by the Campus Labor Coalition sponsored by the Campus Faculty Association
Please register in advance to receive a Zoom link for the presentation and discussion.
Image description: Flyer with a background of triangular shapes in varying shades of blue and green. The title of the event and date are in yellow text and description of the event and link are in white text. A CFA logo that says "uniting for the future" is at the bottom left of the flyer. Details from the flyer are provided in the text above.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org