November GMM, Stewards' Council Tabling, Bargaining Team Recruitment, and more!
Stewards’ Council Tabling
GEO Stewards will be out on campus throughout the upcoming weeks advocating for our upcoming contract bargaining and helping new members sign cards! Join us for some informative literature and refreshments at any of our four locations around campus:
Education Building (Tuesday, November 9th 11:30-1:30)
Grainger Hall (Monday, November 15th 1:00-3:00)
Foreign Language Building (Tuesday, November 16th 1:30-3:30)
Freer Hall (Wednesday, November 17th 11:00-1:00)
If you’re interested in helping to table at these events, reach out to sc@uigeo.org!
General Membership Survey for Contract Bargaining
A flyer that has been described as both “hot” and “fun” featuring a green background with wacky bursts of shapes like pinwheels, coils, and stars in white, blue, and yellow. The GEO logo appears in a heptagon on the top left. Next to this in purple boxes and yellow bubble font read “UIUC GEO General Membership Survey For Contract Bargaining.” Between this message and a QR code reads black text: “to prepare for and to help set priorities for bargaining with the university over wages, healthcare and benefits,workplace protections,and more in Spring. Geo is conducting a survey that is open to all graduate students, regardless of current employment or membership status. follow this link to take the survey: tinyurl.com/BRTSurvey2021 or scan the QR code below!” On the bottom right is a red text box saying “share with friends and colleagues.”
This coming spring marks the beginning of full contract bargaining, where we will bargain with university administration over wages, healthcare and benefits, workplace protections, and much more. To prepare for and to help set priorities for bargaining, GEO is administering a general membership survey. Take a few minutes to fill out the survey to let us know what is going on in your life and the issues you want GEO to fight for in the next contract. And don’t forget, when you're done go on and share it with a friend! Take the survey here.
Questions and/or concerns regarding the survey? Email the BRT at barg@uigeo.com
COVID-19 Booster Shot Info
The GEO strongly recommends that all eligible graduate workers receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, especially for those who are teaching in person and have underlying conditions. According to the university, employees may receive a booster shot during work hours without the use of accrued vacation or sick leave. Click here for booster shot eligibility requirements from the CDC. CUPHD has expanded booster shot eligibility for the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson Boosters:
You must live or work in Champaign County.
You must be fully vaccinated and six months must have passed since your final dose.
You must be 18 years of age and older.
Here are some local options:
1900 S. First Street, Champaign
(east wing of the I Hotel and Conference Center)Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters available
Nov. 2-4, Nov. 10-11
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Walk-in: no appointment necessary
1901 N. Market St., Champaign
(Kohl’s Plaza)Pfizer and Moderna boosters available
Nov. 6-7, Nov. 13-14, Nov. 20-21, Nov. 27-28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Appointments are required. Scheduling is available through MyCarle.
Area pharmacies
Visit vaccinefinder.org for available appointments at local pharmacies.
Bargaining Team Recruitment
Are you interested in assuming a leadership role in this Spring’s full contract bargaining?
Consider running for a place on GEO’s Bargaining Team (BT)!
Some info: The BT is responsible for researching, assembling, planning, and making decisions about bargaining documents and agendas. Bargaining can take months or up to a year, with bargaining sessions happening on a regular (often biweekly) basis. Though it is a substantial time commitment, work on the BT can be highly impactful and rewarding.
BT training will begin over winter break and its members will be elected in early January by the general membership.
As an inclusive and democratic union, GEO would like our BT to be roughly representative of our members. Women, people of color, LGBTQ, international students, and caregivers are highly encouraged to run. Please share if you have additional ideas for how to make the BT accessible and inclusive for all.
If you have questions and/or would like to nominate yourself, contact the Bargaining Research Team at barg@uigeo.org.
Events
November GMM: Wednesday, November 10 at 12 PM (in-person) and 6PM (virtual)
Another steamy poster that could make you blush with its fall colored border of yellow, brown, and orange triangles. Beneath a black GEO logo, the content switches off between orange text and black text with a yellow drop shadow. It reads: “Wednesday, November 10th, General Membership Meeting, 12-1 pm in person, Channing Murray Foundation, 1209 w oregon st urbana il, 61801. coffee and bagels will be provided! 6-7 pm virtual, scan the QR code to register or go to tinyurl.com/november2021gmm. Topics: Bargaining Survey and Membership participation. Email: geo@uigeo.org, accessibility requests? email efujimoto5@gmail.com.
GEO will be having our next monthly General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Wednesday, November 10th. The tentative agenda includes preparing to bargain the new contract. The same topics will be discussed at both meetings.
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). Safety precautions will include checking building access at the door, requiring masks, and socially distanced chairs. A wheelchair-accessible entrance is located on the south side of the building. Coffee and bagels will be provided!
We will also meet online at 6:00-7:00pm via Google Meets. Register to attend at https://tinyurl.com/November2021GMM and you will receive the meeting link shortly before the meeting.
Please contact Ellie at efujimoto5@gmail.com for accessibility requests, additions to the agenda, and to volunteer to help with the GMM!
Racism Hurts Us All Event w/ Author Heather McGhee, Nov. 15, 6 pm
Image of Heather McGhee on the left, smiling next to her book cover for The Sum of Us on the right.
GEO is co-sponsoring an event with the Missouri Workers Center! Join Heather McGhee, author of New York Times best-seller The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, and Stand Up KC leaders Terrence Wise and Bridget Hughes for a discussion about how racism hurts us all and our path to an economy that works for everyone!
Date: Monday, November 15
Time: 6pm CT
Location: Zoom
REGISTER HERE
Join the Facebook event here
Join a GEO Committee!
We are a member-run union; we depend on the commitment of our members to stay as strong as possible. You can find details about what each committee does and how to contact them on our website. No special knowledge is required. You can also follow the calendar of events on our website for the date and time of upcoming meetings: http://uiucgeo.org/calendar. Meetings are open to membership, and coming to a meeting does not commit you to joining a committee.
Upcoming meetings:
Solidarity Committee (solcomm@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, November 9th 5:00pm-6:30pm. Hybrid. Google Meet https://meet.google.com/cjv-rvbu-aym and GEO Office (809 S 5th St Geneva Room. McKinely)
Bargaining Research Team (barg@uigeo.org) - Thursday, November 11th 2021 2:00pm-3:00pm. Contact email for link.
Grievance Committee (grievance@uigeo.org) - Friday, November 12th 2021 1:00pm-2:00pm. Virtual. https://meet.google.com/see-bcwq-gbn
Stewards’ Council (sc@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, November 16th 2021 4:00pm-5:00pm. Virtual. Contact email for link.
People First Cancel Debt Committee (officer2@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, November 16th 2021 6:30pm-7:30pm Hybrid (online via Jitsi) and GEO Office (809 S 5th St Geneva Room. McKinley Foundation
Coordinating Committee (cc@uigeo.org) - Meetings open to all GEO Members. Wednesday, November 17th from 5:00pm-6:00pm. Hybrid: Google Meet and GEO Office. Contact email for more
Communications Committee (commcomm@uigeo.org) - TBA! Contact email to be notified of the next meeting.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org