AGREEMENT REACHED: Summary of 3/2 Impact Bargaining
Table of Contents:
Summary of 3/2 Impact Bargaining: WE WON!
After several weeks of negotiations and a bargaining session today that lasted almost four hours, the GEO arrived at an agreement with UIUC administration regarding COVID-19 impact for the Spring 2022 semester! When we fight, we win!
The final agreement that was reached is linked here. Here are the highlights of this agreement:
Worker Choice:
Bargaining unit members with conditions listed by the CDC as COVID-19 risk factors may seek a reasonable accommodation through the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity. Such accommodation requests will be responded to in a timely and reasonable manner
If a TA or GA needs a short-term accommodation for a personal COVID-related reason, they may request their supervisor for alternative arrangements for work, which could include working remotely. If such an arrangement needs to be extended beyond a week, they must seek approval from the supervisor and department executive officer. Short-term requests and requests for extensions must be responded to within 7 calendar days and the decision made by the supervisor or officer must not be arbitrary or capricious.
Exposure Notifications:
If a student has opted into the IDPH contact tracing program and has had a possible exposure, McKinley Health Center will be responsible for notifying the student’s instructors of record, who will then have the opportunity to notify other students of potential exposure without revealing identifying information about the student who was exposed.
Grievance Procedure:
The terms of this agreement are subject to our grievance procedure. In particular, if you are a TA or GA, and you feel that your reasonable accommodation request was arbitrarily or unfairly denied, please get in touch with us at grievance@uigeo.org!
What’s next?
Full contract bargaining!
EVENTS
Full Contract Bargaining, Monday, March 7, 12pm-3pm
GEO’s full contract bargaining begins Monday, March 7th! At this session, GEO's Bargaining Team will present their full contract proposal to the administration. The Bargaining Team will be negotiating with university administration on topics of access and justice, wages and waivers, and health and safety in our contract.
All members are encouraged to attend bargaining sessions with the administration. It is imperative that we pack the (virtual) room as a display of our strength and organizing capacity! RSVP for the session here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBargSess1
Blue poster with orange bullhorn on the top right. Big text in alternating white, white with black borders, and orange says: “FULL CONTRACT BARGAINING SESSION #1 3/7/22”. Underneath this says “PACK THE SCREEN!” in orange. Under this says “GEO's Bargaining Team will be negotiating with university administration on topics of access and justice, wages and waivers, and health and safety in our contract.” To the right of this is the GEO logo in white. At the bottom is orange text that says “RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBargSess1”
March Membership Drive
Participate in GEO’s March Membership Drive to help our union win a stronger contract! This month, we are encouraging all current members to recruit at least one new member. The goal is to help build power as we enter contract bargaining. Prizes available for everyone helping with recruitment, including stickers, t-shirts, and pizza! Track your recruitments here: https://forms.gle/iTeeSVR2phmAKKj87. Email sc@uigeo.org with questions.
Colorful circles filled with cartoon people’s faces are connected by dotted lines on a white background. The black, red, yellow, and blue text reads, “GEO Membership Drive! | Help recruit members | Win prizes | Strengthen the union | Email sc@uigeo.org with questions and to track recruitment”
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org