Announcements

First General Membership Meeting Wednesday, 9/8 at 12pm (in-person) and 6pm (virtual)!

GEO will be having our first GMM of the semester this Wednesday, 9/8. We will be discussing and approving the union’s budget, recent COVID-19 health and safety concerns from members, and how to get involved with GEO this year (the same topics will be discussed at both meetings).

DETAILS:

In-person: We will be holding an in-person meeting from 12:00-1:00pm at the Channing Murray Foundation located at 1209 W Oregon St., Urbana, 61801 (right behind Davenport Hall on the main quad). Building access will be checked at the door. Masks will be required, and chairs will be set up for social distancing.

Virtual: We will also meet online at 6:00-7:00pm via Google Meets. Register to attend at https://tinyurl.com/EveningGMM9-8-21…

Got COVID-19 Questions? View the GEO COVID-19 Safety Guide!

The GEO COVID-19 Impact Bargaining team (IBT) has been First General Membership Meeting of the semester! with the University on behalf of graduate employees since March 2020.

The COVID-19 IBT recently released a Fall 2021 COVID-19 Safety and Policy Guide, which answers frequently asked questions about COVID-19 on campus and includes safety suggestions for graduate employees.
View the Fall 2021 Safety and Policy Guide here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOCOVID19Safety.

HEERF III COVID-19 Emergency Grants

The application period for COVID-19 Emergency Grants will begin Monday, August 23, and close Friday, September 17, 2021.

Graduate and professional students may submit a request for an emergency grant of up to $1,000 to help with financial challenges associated with COVID-19. Students enrolled in an on-campus or online program are eligible to apply regardless of nationality or citizenship status.

More information about this grant is available online.

Make sure you apply and spread the word!

Disability Caucus Survey

Calling all d/Disabled graduate workers! We would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to fill out a survey about your experiences with disability and ableism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: https://forms.gle/9bNaojT8fXk59HJRA

Deadline: Friday, September 10, 2021

The results from this survey will support the GEO Disability Caucus in our 2021-2022 organizing, so that we are organizing around the issues that most affect d/Disabled graduate workers.

Eligibility to take this survey: Any graduate student-worker at UIUC who identifies as d/Disabled and was a graduate student-worker in Spring, Summer, and/or Fall 2021.

If you would like to contact or join the GEO Disability Caucus, please email us at: geodisabilityuiuc@gmail.com and/or officer3@uigeo.org

[Image description: A flyer with a few colorful circles dotting the page over a neutral background reads: “Graduate Disability Survey” at the top in large navy blue print. Below that there is this survey link: https://forms.gle/9bNaojT8fXk59HJRA, as well as a deadline of Friday, September 10th. Three color boxes in the center of the flyer read: “Share your experience with disability and ableism at UIUC.” “Open to all d/Disabled graduate students/workers at UIUC.” “Run by the Graduate Employees’ Organization Disability Caucus.”

Below the colorful boxes, there is more navy blue print that reads: “If you would like to get in touch with the GEO Disability Caucus, please email us at: geodisabilityuiuc@gmail.com and/or officer3@uigeo.org.”

In the lower right corner of the flyer is a simple black and white logo that reads: “GEO.”]

Calling all graduate workers: Organize with your union! $20 per hour!

The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) at UIUC is hiring organizing fellows to recruit new members and build the union’s power in advance of bargaining a full contract in Fall 2022. These are temporary hourly fellowships that are paid monthly, with an expected workload of ~5 hours a week for 12 weeks total (3 months). We anticipate that these positions will run from late September to mid-December; these flexible positions can be structured around current course load, work duties, and research. Training will be provided and paid.

Responsibilities will include:

Increasing membership in the union through tabling, office visits to fellow grad workers, one-on-one conversations, and hosting interdepartmental events.
Increasing general participation in the union.
Gather information about the needs of graduate employees, the issues they’re facing in their departments, and what they want in a new contract.

Help your union build the power we need to win a contract that provides all grad workers with livable wages, healthcare, and job security for all 12 months out of the year.

The GEO is an Affirmative Action employer. Women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. Furthermore, the GEO is a social justice union that is committed to increase the participation of women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals in all aspects of the union.

Applicants must be a current GEO member and a current U.S. citizen. Not a member?

Join here.

Applications are due by September 15th. Apply at https://tinyurl.com/GEOFellowsAppFA21.

Questions? Email geo@uigeo.org or cc@uigeo.org

Solidarity Committee Statement on Illini Union Labor Day Event

See GEO’s statement on Illini Union's choice to partner with university police on Labor Day and what the history of Labor Day tells us about the relationship between workers and police.

Events

Labor Day Teach-In Today, 6:30 pm, Illini Union on the Quad

In response to Illini Union’s co-sponsorship of a Labor Day Celebration with UIPD, Defund UIPD and GEO Solidarity Committee will hold a teach-in outside the Illini Union today (Monday 9/6) at 6:30 pm. Show up to learn more about the history of labor movements, the role of police as agents of capital deployed as union-busters and strike-breakers, and how the existence of the UIPD is harmful to labor movements on campus and the wider community in general!

[Image description: A 2-page flyer with a red background bordered by darker red. A raised fist wearing a blue shirt is in the bottom left corner. At the top of the page in white text are the words: “What’s wrong with Illini Board co-sponsoring a Labor Day Event with UIPD? THE HISTORY OF LABOR DAY MAKES IT CLEAR:” Beneath this text is a blue timeline of events. September 5, 1882 10,000 NY workers march for shorter work days and call for labor day holiday. May 3, 1886 McCormick Harvesting Machine Company workers strike and police kill several workers to break the strike. May 4, 1886 Workers rally in haymarket square in Chicago massacred by police. May 11, 1894 125,000 Pullman Palace Car company and American railroad union worekrs strike. Troops sent by president Grover Cleveland kill at least 30 workers. Cleveland makes Labor day a national holiday as a concession to quell strikes. At the bottom it reads, “This Labor Day, Illini Union Board has chosen police over workers. Which side are you on?” At the very bottom is a blue button saying “Get involved! à email: solcomm@uigeo.org, defunduipd@protonmail.com. The second page is the same red on red design. The text reads: “We are responding. This labor day join us outside the illini union to elarn about labor movements, police as agents of capital deployed as union busters and strike breakers, and how the existence of the UIPD is harmful to labor movements on campus and the wider community in general! Why? For weeks, the GEO solidarity committee had bene planning a labor day event at the illini union, only to find out at the last minute that the event would be “co-sponsored” with UIPD. Needless to say, we are outraged about this and the GEO has withdrawn from the event. The first is repeated at the bottom, with a blue box saying “September 6th, Illni Union, 6:30 pm.”]

The picnic event will be held at Hackberry Hill near the Orchard Downs Apartments (1841 Orchard Place, Urbana, IL 61801). Please feel free to come, socialize and learn more about GEO. Come at any time during the duration of the picnic.

COVID-19 Impact Bargaining Session Friday Sept 10, 3-4 PM CT

Do you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 safety protocols, lack of communication regarding student COVID cases, the shift of building status checking responsibilities to TAs, overwork, sick leave, using personal materials to work from home, HEERF III grants, or other COVID-19 related issues? Register for GEO’s next COVID-19 Bargaining session here!

CU Pride Parade

The C-U Pride Parade will be on Saturday Sept. 25 at 3 pm in Urbana. This is the largest Pride event in downstate Illinois. This year’s theme is “What the Health? Fighting, Surviving, Thriving.” Sign up to march with GEO in the parade!

Get involved with the GEO!

GEO is looking for our next GMM Coordinator! This is a great opportunity for those who are looking for an easy way to jumpstart their involvement with the Union. Details on what to expect from the position are listed here. Email geo@uigeo.org if you're interested!
Are you interested in helping GEO conduct research on our contract in preparation for the upcoming 2022 bargaining cycle? Join the Bargaining Research Team! We meet biweekly to work on preparing a contract proposal and gathering feedback from GEO members and committees. If you love doing research and digging into the data, this committee is for you! Currently, our fall semester meeting day and time are TBD. Contact barg@uigeo.org if you are interested in joining. We look forward to meeting you!
The Personnel Committee (PC) is tasked with oversight of all Union staff and establishing all terms of Union staff employment, including, but not limited to, wages and benefits. The PC acts as the contract bargaining committee with the Union staff and works with the staff to establish and renew employee contracts. The PC is currently looking for members to help with hiring a new GEO staff member! Email cc@uigeo.org to learn more.
The Communications Committee produces GEO-Ls and flyers, manages GEO’s social media, responds to interview requests, sends out press releases, designs and orders swag, and more. We need people with a variety of skills, for one-off and ongoing projects. We are the most fun committee! For info on joining the Communications Committee, or if you have a project you’d like to take on with us, email commcomm@uigeo.org or just come to a meeting! Follow us on social media for regular updates: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
The Stewards’ Council (SC) is the primary organizing and planning body of GEO. This is where representatives from across campus come together to discuss the needs of our membership. Right now, stewards are doing office visits to sign up new members and planning events for this semester. If you are interested in becoming a Steward, email sc@uigeo.org for more information.
The Finance Committee is tasked with accounting and reporting to members on how dues are spent. Email treasurer@uigeo.org to get involved!
The Solidarity Committee (SolComm) builds connections between the GEO and other unions, social movements and local, national and international social justice causes through financial endorsements, statements of support, collaborations, and more. SolComm supports several organizations and movements that work towards economic, racial, gender, disability, prison, and environmental justice. In addition to graduate employees, we welcome undergraduate students and C-U community members to participate. If you are interested in joining the Solidarity Committee, email solcomm@uigeo.org.
The Disability Caucus is a space for d/Disabled graduate workers and allies to organize around issues that affect us and our working conditions. Contact officer3@uigeo.org for more information or to join our next meeting!
Whether it’s late wages, a missing tuition waiver, or retaliation in the workplace, the Grievance Committee enforces the union contract and helps GEO members navigate and resolve issues with the UIUC administration. The Grievance Committee also educates union members about the contract and distributes information to the larger campus community. We are looking for members who are interested in labor issues, like to advocate for others, and are detail-oriented! We are working hard defending members who are experiencing potential violations of the contract. If you are interested in joining the Grievance Committee, email grievance@uigeo.org!
Want to help your union out on a short-term basis without joining a committee? Contact Andrea at AndreaHerrera@UIGEO.org to help organize new membership cards!

In Solidarity,

Graduate Employees’ Organization

809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room

Champaign, IL 61820

Email: geo@uigeo.org

First GMM, COVID-19 Safety Guide, and a People First start to the year!

Table of Contents:

Announcements

First General Membership Meeting Wednesday, 9/8 at 12pm (in-person) and 6pm (virtual)!