GEO Statement of Solidarity with UIC Workers (SEIU Local 73)
The Graduate Employees’ Organization at UIUC (IFT/AFT Local 6300) stands in solidarity with SEIU Local 73, specifically represented workers at UIC, who submitted their intention to strike on September 3rd, 2020. UIC workers have been without a contract for over a year, which is an experience we are all too familiar with since in our last full contract negotiation we had been working without a contract for months and had been negotiating for almost a year.
The UIC administration has not made any meaningful movement to address their workers’ concerns or to resolve the numerous unfair labor practices the union has filed against them.
The workers are striking for:
Adequate staffing to ensure safety of staff, patients, and students.
Proper PPE, including universal masking and N95s in the hospital.
Fair and equitable pay.
Increasing the base minimum pay to $15 per hour so that all UIC employees make at least $15 per hour.
Market-rates of pay for every employee at UI Health, UIC-DSCC, and all UIC campuses.
Improved policies around workload and time off to protect staff from being overworked
Protections against outsourcing work to outside companies that have no commitment to the needs of students and patients.
As members of the UIUC sister campus, we see firsthand the diligent and relentless efforts that SEIU workers put into keeping our campus communities safe throughout this pandemic. As essential frontline employees to university operations, SEIU workers need greater protections and respect for the vital labor they provide. Full stop. The GEO hears SEIU 73’s concerns and condemns UIC administration, whose slow and unmeaningful response continues to endanger lives. In honor of Labor Day, we celebrate your labor AND your lives by urging the UIC admin to take seriously the dangers posed by improper PPE, inadequate staffing, overwork, and outsourcing. To SEIU 73, the GEO appreciates you, we thank you, and we stand by you.
Stand in Solidarity with UIC Workers: What can you do?
Sign the SEIU 73 Strike Solidarity Letter.
Share the strike authorization vote Media Release
If you are part of an organization that can offer support for a strike, fill out this form.
If the UIC administration does not make significant movement towards meeting SEIU’s demands, join workers on the picket lines! Visit SEIU’s website or follow them on social media for updates.
The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 2,700 Teaching and Graduate Assistants on the UIUC Campus. In November 2009 and in February 2018, over 1,000 GEO members and allies participated in a strike to secure a fair contract and more accessible UIUC campus. With an active presence in the community, the GEO continues to work for high-quality and accessible public education in Illinois.
For more information, please contact geo@uigeo.org. More information can also be found on GEO’s website at www.uiucgeo.org.
Twitter: @geo_uiuc
Facebook: @uigeo @geosolcomm
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