Bargaining Session #12 - Summary
Days working without a contract: 67!
What does this mean? When the contract expires, its rules stay in effect so long as we are in negotiations. This means that contract wages will not increase until a new contract is in place. The new contract only applies once the entire contract is agreed upon and members vote to accept it.
On Wednesday 10/14, 120+ GEO members, union allies, undergraduates, and community members rallied outside Foellinger Auditorium in support of international worker protections. Immediately after, 209 GEO members attended the bargaining session to demand a fair contract for all grad workers.
GEO’s Bargaining Team (BT) began the session by emphasizing the importance of our proposals for international graduate workers. Members presented three testimonials:
One graduate worker described the challenges they experienced at the start of their program due to poor communication and lack of transparency around the Oral English Language Proficiency exam.
One graduate worker described the intense fear they experienced around potential ICE activity on campus. They created plans for their own safety with friends, classmates, and roommates, but felt entirely abandoned by the university’s lack of communication and protections.
One worker described how their lack of summer funding, when combined with restrictions on working off campus, meant they were only able to eat one or two meals a day over the summer. They spoke about foregoing fresh produce and relying on pantry staples. They then had to suffer through getting their first paycheck in September only to turn around and pay part of it back to the university in mandatory student fees.
GEO’s BT then presented one package proposal that included Orientations & Training and Employee Rights. The administration responded by bringing three package proposals:
Nondiscrimination and Miscellaneous Provisions (which did not include artificial intelligence or international worker protections)
Hours of Work
Wages, Fee Waivers, Tuition Waivers, Healthcare, Leaves and Holidays, Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave, and Duration
Admin’s proposals were mixed. In some sections, the administration made meaningful changes; other proposals were dismal.
The administration continued to reject protections and support for international workers. Their economic proposal was also extremely disappointing. They continued to reject our proposals on summer funding and fee waivers and offered a minuscule wage increase. Admin’s proposed wages were only 0.2% higher their previous proposal, or a little over $50 per year. They also “clarified” that gift days, such as Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, do not apply to graduate workers.
The GEO’s BT pointed out that these proposals were absolutely unacceptable and that they did not address the needs of grad workers who had to skip meals and couldn’t afford healthcare for their children.
The only way to win the contract and dignity we deserve is to continue organizing and showing up! Keep an eye out for our Bargaining Session #13 on October 29th, from 10am-3pm in the Illini Union, Room 314A.
