FAQs

When graduate workers at UIUC first won collective bargaining rights through the GEO in 2000, Graduate Research Assistants were not allowed to unionize in the state of Illinois. A 2019 Illinois law removed this restriction. 

Additionally, over the past several years, many graduate worker unions that include RAs have won impressive victories, such as at the University of California system in 2023, and many more new unions have formed at institutions like MIT and the University of Iowa. A union authorization election for research assistants at the University of Illinois at Chicago won with unanimous support in February 2024.

Union membership is not disclosed to your supervisor. The GEO supplies the university administration with lists of members for the purpose of dues deduction, but individual supervisors are not informed of which employees are union members. 

More importantly, retaliation against employees for union membership is forbidden by state and federal law. If your supervisor breaks the law by retaliating against you, your unionized coworkers will swiftly intervene on your behalf.

The allocation of research funding, most of which is brought in by grants secured by individual faculty members, is untransparent and inequitable. By forming a union of research assistants across campus, we can demand change at the university level and win a fair deal for everyone involved in research at our institution. The people who are actually conducting research at this university should have a say in how funds are spent.

• RAs at the University of California earn 8 weeks paid parental leave or family care benefit at 100% pay, guaranteed by their union contract. 

• RAs at the University of Iowa fought to earn low premium health insurance, with the university paying 90% of single premiums & 70% of dependent premiums. 

• RAs at Duke University earn funds upfront or reimbursement for expenses of professional development and conferences.

• International student RAs at the University of Chicago earn $510 stipends to help cover visa fees.

• RAs at the University of Washington earn up to $5,000 per year to cover the costs of childcare.

• RAs at Rutgers University fought together for stronger protections against harassment.

• RAs at MIT have contractually guaranteed transitional funding to support graduate workers who switch advisors.

• RAs at the University of Wisconsin at Madison fought together with other campus workers to earn 12 weeks of paid family & medical leave guaranteed for all UW-Madison employees.

• RAs at Northwestern University earn 100% vision and dental coverage at no extra cost.

• RAs at the University of Michigan worked together with other graduate workers and community members to protect tenants in Ann Arbor with a campaign to change the local laws. 

1. RAs form a diverse organizing committee to gather information and make a plan for organizing their coworkers.

2. At least 30% of RAs sign union authorization cards indicating they would like to join the GEO bargaining unit.

3. Once enough RAs have signed, the Labor Board will hold a union election.

4. If a majority of RAs (50%+1) vote yes in the election, the union will be certified as the bargaining representative of RAs!

5. RAs elect a bargaining committee

6. RAs fill out comprehensive bargaining surveys, hold discussions, request information from UIUC administration, and gather feedback to draft their initial bargaining priorities

7. Initial bargaining demands are sent to all RAs for review, and RAs vote on whether or not to approve them.

8. The bargaining committee negotiates as equals with UIUC administration and provides regular updates to all RAs. RAs engage in collective action to build pressure  for their demands.

9. Once a tentative agreement is reached at the bargaining table,

10. All members vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement.

Collective bargaining is a process, protected by state law, that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer.

Without collective bargaining, UIUC has unilateral power to change our working conditions. For example, the UIUC administration currently decides unilaterally whether to provide RAs with annual raises or not, and determines our workplace safety guidelines.

Through the process of collective bargaining, UIUC RAs will elect peer representatives to negotiate as equals with the UIUC administration. These negotiations result in a proposed contract called a tentative agreement. All GEO members will then be asked to vote to democratically approve the tentative agreement. If approved, the tentative agreement becomes a legally-binding contract. Through collective bargaining, other academic workers at UIUC (such as TAs, GAs, PGAs, non-tenured faculty, etc.) have successfully negotiated improvements in their wages, benefits, job security, leaves, protections against harassment and discrimination, and many other terms and conditions of their employment. 

When workers authorize a union, their employer becomes legally obligated to bargain with them in good faith over items like wages, healthcare, and leave. These negotiations conclude in the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement, which is a legally enforceable contract. If the university then violates your contractual rights, you can seek redress and compensation via a binding grievance procedure with the support of your union.

We are currently asking RAs to contribute a minimal rate of half a percent (0.5%) of their stipend to the unionization drive. These contributions are vital to support our efforts to organize the more than 3600 UIUC graduate research assistants. After the contract is ratified, union members will hold a democratic vote to set dues at a rate they choose themselves! (See the following question for more information on how dues are spent in GEO).

Union members decide democratically how dues are spent. Members vote each year to approve a budget at the first General Membership Meeting during the Fall semester. Union dues cover office and communication expenses, membership training, social and solidarity events, and a few paid staffers. Here’s a breakdown of our current budget:

Typically, the value of increased salary and benefits greatly exceed the cost of dues. UIUC Teaching Assistants won a 25% raise in their most recent contract over 4 years. The story is similar at other unionized campuses. And it’s not just us! Research (done by RAs like us) shows that unionized workers make over 10% more on average than their non-union peers.

GEO is asking RAs to sign union authorization cards. These cards say that RAs want to join the bargaining unit alongside TAs, GAs, and PGAs at UIUC, to have GEO represent research assistants in collective bargaining with the UIUC administration. It takes a majority of RAs signing authorization cards in order to certify the union as the collective bargaining representative for RAs at UIUC. 

Illinois regulations require that each employee’s printed name, signature, job title or classification, and the date on which each individual’s signature was obtained, be present on the cards. Cards are valid for one year after the date on which they are signed. Authorization cards are confidential and will not be shared with UIUC administration.