Highlighting Graduate Student Exploitation Week & Bargaining Session 16
Table of Contents:
Announcements:
Events:
Highlighting Graduate Student Exploitation Week
[Image description: A meme in four images. In the first, the hand of a drowning person sticks up out of the water, labeled Grads: “We need a living wage.” In the second, a hand labeled UIUC admin reaches down. In the third, the second hand gives the first a high-five, with text that reads “We appreciate you, here’s a donut!” In the fourth image, the first hand sinks below the waves.]
UIUC has declared this week (October 24-28) Graduate Student Appreciation Week. They’re offering up free pizza and Kudoboards. Meanwhile, our contract has been expired for 70 days, and the University administration is making very little movement toward fair wages that account for inflation, year-round healthcare coverage, the elimination of student fees, or issues of access and equity. That’s not appreciation, it’s exploitation!
The Work Action Group (WAG) needs you to show the University how you feel exploited as a graduate worker on campus. Let’s flood social media with stories and memes of the ways your work is unappreciated, as well as what would make you feel appreciated, using the hashtags #ILLINOISgsaw #FairContractNow #GradExploitationWeek and tag GEO in your posts (@geo_uiuc on Twitter & Instagram, @uigeo on Facebook)!
Join Bargaining Session 16!
[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.]
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.
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!
General Membership Meeting
[Image description: Flyer with three blue squares at the top. The left-most square contains a drawing of two hands shaking, the middle has a black circle with the white letters GEO inside, and the right has a drawing of a megaphone with sound waves radiating out. Underneath is a yellow rectangle with white text reading General Membership Meeting. Beneath that, two columns separated by a vertical line list dates and times. On the left reads Thurs. November 3rd 5:30-7:00pm In-Person Channing Murray Foundation 1209 W Oregon St. Urbana, 61801. In the right column, text reads, Wed. November 2nd 12-1:30pm Virtual Scan the QR code to register or go to https://tinyurl.com/GMM1102. There is a QR code under the line between the columns of text. A blue rectangle at the bottom has white text reading, Topics: Bargaining Updates. Black text at the very bottom of the flyer reads, Questions? Email: geo@uigeo.org.]
Our next General Membership Meeting (GMM) of the semester is coming up! In this GMM, we’ll be sharing updates on bargaining and discussing strategy moving forward. Your presence at this meeting is vital! We need to hear from all members to push for a strong contract that addresses all the issues we face as workers.
We’ll have two meeting options, one online and one in person. Both meetings will discuss the same content, so attend whichever works best for you:
The online GMM will be held on Wednesday, November 2nd at 12pm on Google Meets. Register to receive the meeting link here: https://tinyurl.com/2022gmm1102.
The in-person GMM will be held on Thursday, November 3 at 5:30pm at the Channing Murray Foundation (1209 W Oregon St Urbana). You don’t need to register ahead of time for the in-person meeting.
Disability Identity Discussion - Friday, November 4, 3-4pm Central Time
The GEO Disability Caucus is hosting an online Disability Identity Discussion on Friday, November 4 from 3-4pm Central Time. For all graduate students who identify as D/disabled, this is a safe and constructive space to discuss issues relating to disability in grad school, starting with your academic relationships. How does your disability impact your relationship with your advisor/supervisor? Do you talk about your access needs with your coworkers? Here we will share our experiences and advice. If you are unable to attend, keep an eye out for future meetings like this! You don't have to be a GEO member to attend.
Sign up by clicking here, or on the link below. You will receive an email with a link to join us closer to the meeting date.
Please feel free to invite any graduate students at UIUC you think would be interested in attending. There will be the option to enable captions in this meeting. There is also space in the RSVP form to mention access requests.
GEO’s “The Night of the Living Wage” Halloween Party
[Image description: A black flyer with spooky magenta trees, graves with crosses, spiders, and pink and yellow bats in the background. Black text on a yellow smear of paint reads The Graduate Employees’ Organization Presents. The date and time are in yellow underneath: Saturday, Nov. 5th, 8pm-12am. A pink and yellow dancing Dracula with large horns looms over white text that reads, Night of the Living Wage, A Grad Student Halloween Party. Pink text underneath reads, Costume Contest (With Prizes), Dancing & Games, followed by black text on a yellow smear reading, Free Food and Drinks. The location is listed at the bottom: Independent Media Center, 202 S Broadway Ave., Urbana. A black and yellow circular GEO logo is in the bottom right over a yellow triangle accompanied by the website link: uiucgeo.org.]
GEO’s Halloween theme party is coming up on Saturday, November 5th at the Independent Media Center (202 S Broadway) from 8pm-12am. We will have free drinks and beer for all our members along with great dance music, games, and prizes! Join the Facebook event here.
Grads can sign a membership card at the door to join the fun! Special prizes for best costumes (particularly those attires resembling admin including the one and only, Robb Craddock). We need your help in inviting your Department Grad association and your TAs/GAs friends to increase our membership with over 100 cards! Use this template to invite your grad friends and colleagues.
The stronger our Union the stronger our contract will be! Let’s make exploitation a ghost of the past. For more information on how to mobilize your department for the party please contact Grace and Clara, Stewards co-chairs at sc@uigeo.org.
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. Meetings are open to membership, and coming to a meeting does not commit you to joining a committee.
Upcoming schedules:
Communications Committee (Contact Megan and Savannah at commcomm@uigeo.org) - Monday, October 31, 4-5pm. Meets online every other Monday from 4-5pm. Google Meets link: https://meet.google.com/vej-hmah-tks
Work Action Group (WAG) (Contact Davut at officer2@uigeo.org) - Monday, October 31, 7-8:30pm. Meets every Monday from 7-8:30 in the GEO office and online. Google Meets link: https://meet.google.com/nky-novo-xjc
Solidarity Committee (Contact Jessennya at solcomm@uigeo.org) - Wednesday, October 26, 4-5pm (Political Education Planning). Meets online and in-person in the GEO office every other Wednesday from 4-5pm. Google Meets link: http://meet.google.com/snh-zzei-sni
Bargaining Team (Contact Sam at officer1@uigeo.org) - Monday, October 31, 10:45am-12:45pm. Regular fall meetings will be every Monday from 10:45am-12:45pm. Online and in the GEO office, contact email for the link. Interested in joining BT? Nominate yourself or a friend: https://tinyurl.com/jointheBT.
People First Cancel Debt Committee (Contact Karla at cc@uigeo.org) - ?. Meets online and in-person in the GEO office every other Monday from 6-7pm. Contact email for the link.
Grievance Committee (Contact Dante at grievance@uigeo.org) - Tuesday, November 8, 4:00pm-5:00pm. Meets every other Tuesday from 4-5. Online and in the GEO office, contact email for the link.
Stewards’ Council (Contact Grace at sc@uigeo.org) - Thursday, October 27, 5:00-6:30pm. Meets every other Thursday from 5-6:30. Online and in the GEO office, contact email for the link.
RA/PGA Working Group (Contact Bram at bram.osterhout@gmail.com) - Contact email to get involved.
Disability Caucus (Contact Kel at GEOdisabilityUIUC@gmail.com) - Friday, November 4, 3pm holding a Disability Identity Discussion meeting. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/9vVMjeo1pNwCBV7G9
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org