Summary of Bargaining Session 14: We Provided a Counter Proposal
Summary of 10/7 Bargaining Session
During Friday’s bargaining session our lead negotiators, ben Wallis (History) and Karla Sanabria Veaz (Social Work), came to the session with GEO’s own package proposal in the interest of advancing negotiations with the administration.
Upon handing the University administration the package proposal, the Union spent time providing rationales for the changes in our package proposal and came prepared to answer any questions the University administration might have. Following that, the University caucused and returned with more questions which our lead negotiators answered. The package proposal included language pertaining to the following articles: Recognition, Non-Discrimination, Appointment Terms, Leaves and Holidays, and No Strike/No Lockout. The session ended relatively early with the University administration recognizing that the GEO has made movement to advance the bargaining process.
WHAT DO MEMBERS THINK OF THE PACKAGE PROPOSAL & THE SESSION?
After the session ended, GEO members discussed the package proposal and had time to look closely at the language GEO’s Bargaining Team had proposed. The members also discussed the session in its entirety.
One member stated that the GEO is fighting for graduate workers’ rights while making movement without losing the integrity of our pillars (Access & Justice, Wages & Waivers, Health & Safety). Another member appreciated that the GEO is giving space to members to share their testimonials during the session so that the administration can see how issues, both grand and minute, impact graduate workers. The member stated that they really appreciate how the GEO is democratically run.
During the session, the GEO and the University administration heard a testimonial from a graduate worker whose religious practices are not taken into consideration, especially when they conflict with their work. Concerning the testimonial, a GEO member said:
“I had a Muslim friend who had to arrange their holidays and family visits during Christian holidays because it was the only extended paid time the university allowed them to have. When they requested time off in July for a religious holiday to spend the holiday with family members in another country, they were denied the request even when offering to switch their paid time off around Christmas for this holiday, and it resulted in them working remotely during their vacation and using personal days. By not allowing graduate assistants of non-Eurocentric faiths to holiday on their respective religious holidays, University administration is not only undermining their religious practices, but affecting their interfamilial and personal relationships.” – A GEO member
WHAT DO WE WANT?
The GEO wants a fair contract. The GEO wants a comprehensive response that addresses the needs of all graduate workers including parents, graduate workers who practice non-Christian faiths and international students. The GEO wants every graduate student from any walk of life to thrive, and not just survive. We hope the administration responds to our movement and takes our demands seriously.
How can I and my co-workers/friends participate and support?
This is the moment where graduate workers show up and be more visible. It is time to show the university our numbers and affirm that the University works because graduate workers work.
Join us for our next bargaining session on Thursday 20th/10/2022 from 1:45pm-5:30pm at the Illini Union Ballroom, and consider supporting the bargaining team by volunteering for a role here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBARGROLES. No task is too big nor too small for YOU or your co-workers to get involved in the Union. Below are some good places to start!
Post the organizing TO-DO list in your office and share with friends so you can commit to at least one event.
Consider sharing a testimonial during the sessions (can be done anonymously). Email barg@uigeo.org
Joining the bargaining team! You can nominate yourself or a friend at https://tinyurl.com/jointheBT. Questions about what that entails? Email Sam at officer1@uigeo.org!
Share our“After Bargaining” podcastwith your friends so they can stay tuned in to what’s happening in bargaining. Our new episode can be found in our bargaining website herehttps://www.uiucgeo.org/full-contract-bargaining-2022
Attend Bargaining Session 15!
[Image description: A flyer with a light purple background and an image of a megaphone with waves of sound in the upper right. Black and white text with blue highlights reads, FULL CONTRACT BARGAINING SESSION #15 10/20/22. In a paragraph below, smaller black text reads, On Thursday, October 20 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. The bargaining session will be from 2-5pm, and the bargaining team will caucus with members before and after the session from 1:45-2pm & 5-5:30pm. To the right is a white logo with the letters “GEO” inside. At the bottom, black text reads Illini Union Ballroom. Please wear a mask if attending in-person! Childcare, food & coffee provided. Online option available as an accommodation for public health concerns. Email officer1@uigeo.org by October 19th at 11:59pm.]
The next bargaining session will be on Thursday, October 20 from 2:00-5:00pm at the Illini Union Ballroom. Join us and text a friend to come with you! Whether it will be your first bargaining session or your 15th, we need everybody in the room to pressure admin to listen to our demands.
Bargaining Team needs volunteers to help with:
Note taking (you’ll receive a brief training on how to do this!)
Childcare
Procuring coffee/food
Check-in
Sign up to volunteer here: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBARGROLES
New Episode of After Bargaining
ben Wallis (History) and GEO’s Co-President Karla Sanabria Vaez (Social Work) join podcast host and Bargaining Team member, Essam Elkorghli (Education) to bring you the most pressing updates from the bargaining session. Tune in and listen to our 11th episode here: https://anchor.fm/after-bargaining to learn more about our package proposal.
[image description: black and white, Karla (left) wearing “all workers deserve a living wage” T-shirt and sitting next to ben (right) holding the peace sign by his right eye, while wearing a GEO beanie].
A meme in two images. The top image shows a figure titled “graduate worker” trying to reach for a ball labeled as “ take an hour off work to break my fast”. The bottom image shows the graduate worker hindered from reaching the ball titled “food” as another figure lurks behind the “graduate worker”, hugging them from behind, preventing the graduate worker from reaching the ball.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org