Summary of Bargaining Session 15: Admin's Meager Counter-Proposal
Bargaining Session 15 Summary
During yesterday’s session, the lead negotiators Sam Froiland (History) and Nachiketa Adhikari (Math) were prepared to receive a response from the administration to the package proposal that GEO presented back on October 7th, which included the items Recognition, Non-discrimination, Appointment Terms, Leaves and Holidays, and No Strike/No Lockout. We responded to their questions about our proposal, received a counter proposal from the administration and later moved to caucus to discuss it with membership.
Despite GEO making a good faith effort presenting our proposal, and despite the administration’s insistence in their “take it or leave it” proposals, we only received cosmetic changes from the administration regarding non-discrimination and appointment terms. We ended the session asking clarifying questions about their package proposal and about our information requests regarding the English proficiency requirements. Keep reading to learn more about the session and how you can get involved to win the contract we deserve!
WHAT DO WE (GEO) WANT?
The GEO wants and deserves a wage increase that is commensurate with rising costs of living and year-round healthcare. But as a democratic union, we understand that our membership, which is very diverse and has multiple needs, needs additional resources and protections that align with the pillars our members voted on: health and safety, wages and waivers, and access and justice. These pillars will make it possible for grad workers to work for a living instead of living for their jobs. We also demand that the administration respect us during negotiations instead of infantilizing our team by implying that our members don’t care about allegedly “non-economic” items such as leaves and holidays, non-discrimination, appointment terms, English proficiency or child care. Our Union can only run with the work and participation of members. In order to win our demands, it is necessary for all of us to show up to bargaining sessions, participate in events and support our organization in whatever way we’re capable of. One of our members, Marina Moscoso, explains her experience about the importance of doing what we can for us to win!
“I’m a PhD student taking 12 credits, with a 50% appointment and additional community work in my home country, Puerto Rico. Even though I may not understand the entirety of the bargaining process, I show up because I’m a member of the graduate community fighting for a better quality of life. That’s why I do my best to be here because we’re a community, and this is an important way for us to support each other and build solidarity. Our power is our numbers” - Marina
WHAT DO THEY (THE ADMINISTRATION) WANT?
The administration claims that the Union is slowing down negotiations because they want us to accept their meager wages and health care proposal from the 26th/9/2022. Such a proposal barely provides a 4% increase to wages, with no guaranteed free year-round healthcare for the duration of the 5 year contract. The GEO provided a comprehensive rationale for our over 30% increase to the minimum based on:
the proposed living wage in Champaign Urbana as shown by the MIT living wage calculator,
our members input, and
the average salary of our peer institutions in the Big Ten
However, the administration arbitrarily chose $20,000 on 25th/8/2022 and then $20,072 in yesterday’s proposal as well as their previous proposal because, in the words of Robb Craddock, the administration’s lead negotiator, “Well, we thought that $20,000 was a good initial offer.” Well, why isn’t $25,000 or $24,000 a better starting number, Robb? Moreover, the administration fails to understand that the Union is a democratic and member-run organization. It is the Union’s position to fight for the lives and working conditions of all graduate workers, and in order to do that, all of us must be involved in the decision-making process. Far from the Union delaying negotiations, the University made us wait 5 months for their proposal response. As one of the GEO’s lead negotiators, Sam Froiland, said yesterday, unlike the Admin, “we do not need to call the Provost or the Chancellor.” We consult our membership which has repeatedly said that 20,072 for year one is completely disrespectful to our labor that makes this University run. This is what democracy looks like.
How can I and my co-workers/friends participate and support?
Our current material conditions are more and more precarious as graduate workers. The only way we can improve our quality of life and make public education accessible for all graduate workers is by fighting back with our power. The University is controlled by bankers, and wealthy donors that can raise over 2.6 billion dollars but cannot give us a living wage. We have to demand, participate and agitate other grad workers to join our Union. Here’s how you and your co-workers can participate and support our efforts:
Sign up for a specific role at our next bargaining session on Friday, October 28th from 1:45pm-4:30pm here https://tinyurl.com/GEOBARGROLES ! All tasks make a difference and you will be guided by a GEO member on how to do your role.
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!
Join Bargaining Session 16!
Bargaining Session 16 will be on Friday, October 28th from 1:45-4:30pm in the Levis Faculty Center, room 300! We’ll have a pre-session caucus to talk amongst members from 1:45-2:00pm before the session begins at 2:00pm, and we’ll caucus after the session to check in on what happened from 4:00-4:30pm. You can also join online by emailing officer1@uigeo.org by October 27 at 11:59pm.
Join for as long as you can, we need everyone there who can make it to remind the administration that we are a democratic Union run by members who will show up to win a fair contract now!
[Image description: A flyer with a red background and an image of a megaphone with waves of sound in the upper right. Black and white text with green highlights reads, FULL CONTRACT BARGAINING SESSION #16 10/28/22. In a paragraph below, smaller black text reads, On Thursday, October 28, 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 2-4pm, and the bargaining team will caucus with members before and after the session from 1:45-2pm & 4-4:30pm. 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 27th at 11:59pm.]
New Episode of After Bargaining
Tune in to listen to the lead negotiators, Nachiketa and Sam, discuss the counter-proposal that the administration handed us and everything else the bargaining session entailed. Listen to the episode here: anchor.fm/after-bargaining/.
Share this episode with your friends, colleagues and allies. Listen till the end; Essam and Nachiketa give updates on events happening next week.
[Image description: A black and white photograph with Nachiketa on the right and Sam on the left sitting side by side, wearing GEO shirts, and smiling.]
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org