Register for Bargaining Session #9 and Sign up for Orientation Presentations
Register for Bargaining Session #9!
Our next session is scheduled for this Thursday, August 11 from 1-4pm CT. We need everyone to join so that we can show admin how serious we are about keeping sessions open and accessible for ALL GEO members!
The session will take place online via Zoom, and GEO will caucus in Google Meets. Register to attend through this link: https://tinyurl.com/GEOBarg9
Join the bargaining room and caucus for as long as you can, and invite at least one colleague!
[Image description: A flyer with a aquamarine-colored background and an image of a black megaphone with waves of sound in the upper right. Black and white text reads “FULL CONTRACT BARGAINING SESSION #9 8/11/22” In a paragraph below, smaller black text reads, “On Thursday, August 11 from 1:00-4:00 PM, 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.” At the bottom, text reads, “RSVP here: [https://tinyurl.com/GEOBarg9]” On the bottom right is a white logo with the letters “GEO” inside.]
New Episode of After Bargaining Podcast
[Image description: Podcast logo with a black background. At the top is an image of headphones in purple and green with a neon light-styled font. Underneath, is the podcast title, “AFTER BARGAINING,” in pink neon-styled font, with a sub-title, “-WITH GEO-” in blue underneath.]
In the fifth episode of After Bargaining, lead negotiators for Bargaining Session #8, Essam Elkorghli (Education) and Karla Sanabria-Véaz (Linguistics) speak with ben wallis (History) who's swapped hosting with Essam! They debrief on the disrespect and interruptions they faced in Friday's session from the university's lead negotiator, Robb Craddock. They also dive into the most important issues from the bargaining session: wages, re-appointment raises, year-round healthcare, and childcare resources.
This podcast is a great way to get caught up if you missed the bargaining session, or want to hear more about the full contract bargaining process in general! Listen to the podcast here: https://tinyurl.com/bargpodcast5. You can access a transcript of the podcast episode at this link.
What Happens When the Contract Expires?
Our contract will expire on Aug. 15. However, you should still sign your offer letter, and all of your existing benefits (such as, healthcare, wages, tuition waivers, etc.) will remain intact until we agree to a new contract. As the contract states: “this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect indefinitely throughout the negotiations.”
GEO’s Bargaining Team has been requesting for 5 months now that the administration provide a full contract proposal so we can advance negotiations and come to a new agreement as soon as possible. In these recession conditions, a wage increase can’t wait! Join the next Bargaining Session to demand a fair contract now.
If you have any questions about the contract expiration or the bargaining process, you can email Chelsea and Sam at officer1@uigeo.org.
Volunteers Needed During Orientation
Starting next week, the GEO will be presenting at departmental orientations, and could use volunteer support.
Here is the link to sign up for orientations by department:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dZZej2ZwQFJVLcFfJEG9TvtHh7IjHmwQnL9JIZyAIy0/edit
And here you can sign up for tabling at the big TA Orientation:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14unqPjcKmJD7kkAxkPQ1DMcessbvRBaZTh_zgDem-FQ/edit#gid=0
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org