Welcome to the Spring Semester! Safety Petition, January GMM, and more
Table of Contents:
Announcements:
Events:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sign the UIUC Safety Petition!
COVID-19 cases on UIUC’s campus are higher than they have ever been. Yet we are expected to work and learn with no exposure notifications, no widespread required testing, rare building access checks, and only 1 KN95 per community member. Sign this petition to demand safer working and learning conditions from UIUC!
Read the petition text here: https://tinyurl.com/UIUCSafetyPetText
Petition form to sign and add your name: https://tinyurl.com/UIUCSafetyPetition
Organize with your Union! $20 per hour! Deadline January 24th
The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) at UIUC is offering paid fellowships to GEO members to recruit new members and build the union’s power as we bargain a full contract in Spring 2022. These are temporary hourly fellowships that are paid monthly, with an expected workload of ~5 hours a week for 15 weeks total (3-4 months). We anticipate that these positions will run from late February to mid-May; 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.
Applications are due by Monday, January 24th. Apply at https://tinyurl.com/GEOFellowsAppSP22
Question? Email geo@uigeo.org or cc@uigeo.org!
Spring 2022 HEERF III COVID-19 Emergency Grants (Open 1/18-1/31)
Graduate students are able to apply for emergency financial aid grants of up to $1,000 as part of UIUC’s Higher Education Emergency Relief allocation. These grants can be used to cover costs related to tuition, food, housing, health care, child care, or other expenses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply visit https://grad.illinois.edu/covid-19/emergency-grants.
Survey about Membership Needs & COVID-19 Concerns
We need to hear from you. Please complete this survey to direct how we collectively respond to these unsafe conditions: https://bit.ly/GEOCOVIDSURVEY
EVENTS
Sunday, January 23rd from 11am-2pm: Second Half of GEO Virtual Organizing Retreat
We are holding the 2nd half of our organizing retreat. The virtual event will happen on Sunday, January 23rd from 11am-2pm. RSVP here to receive a link to attend and an agenda: https://bit.ly/ORGANIZEGEO2
At this retreat, we will be summarizing organizing ideas you all developed at the last retreat as well as brainstorming new ideas and turning them into concrete plans of action for the semester. We will also be reviewing and practicing COVID-19 health and safety related organizing conversations and making outreach plans. It will be a great opportunity once again to get to know grads from across departments!
Please share the form & event with your friends! New people are encouraged to join even if they didn't attend the first Organizing Retreat!
Tuesday, January 25, 3-4pm CT: GEO Disability Caucus’ first meeting of spring semester!
All are welcome to join the GEO Disability Caucus’ first meeting of spring semester! The Disability Caucus organizes around issues that affect d/Disabled graduate workers at UIUC. The first meeting of the semester will be held Tuesday, January 25, at 3pm Central Time. We will meet on Google Meets at: https://meet.google.com/xrp-mshh-uhi.
Please reach out to us at GEODisabilityUIUC@gmail.com if you have any access requests, to be added to the email list, or with any questions or suggestions.
January GMM: Wednesday, January 26 at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM (VIRTUAL ONLY)
A dark purple and pink poster. Next to the black GEO logo, the text reads, “VIRTUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING, JANUARY 26TH, 2022”. Beneath the heading, white text in a black box reads: “AFTERNOON SESSION 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, EVENING SESSION 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm”. White, bullet-pointed text on the purple background reads “Vote to elect our Bargaining Team members”, “Learn the results of the Bargaining Research Team’s most recent survey”, “Discuss contract bargaining priorities”, “Strategize around most recent covid numbers and on campus safety procedures”. The pink box below includes black text reading “REGISTRATION REQUIRED, OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS”, followed by a QR code and the white text, “scan the QR code OR go to tinyurl.com/Jan2022GMM”. At the bottom of the poster in purple is the text, “PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU NEED ANY ACCOMMODATIONS!” against a pink background with the GEO’s contact information listed. Email icon followed by “geo@uigeo.org”, web icon followed by “uiucgeo.org”, Facebook icon followed by “facebook.com/uigeo”, and twitter icon and instagram icon followed by “@geo_uiuc”.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org