GEO Statement on Dues Deductions
Dear GEO members,
As you may have noticed, the deduction of GEO dues by the University Payroll has been incorrect for the past three months. The University has overcharged our members holding TA and GA positions because of a failure to adjust the RA/PGA dues properly after the GEO membership voted to increase RA/PGA dues. In April 2019, members voted democratically to increase RA/PGA dues from $3 to $8/month; following the vote, our officers communicated the change to Payroll, which was supposed to take place over the summer. In July, UIUC payroll incorrectly increased dues for TA and GA members by $5. Our team of volunteers dealing with financial concerns and grievances communicated this error to University administration and ultimately filed a grievance and Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against the University in August when the error was not fully corrected. In response to our grievance and ULP, the University administration agreed to fix the mistakes in September, however, this week it’s clear that GEO members with TA and GA positions were again overcharged; this time the overcharge is $13.
GEO is very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused our members and we are trying our best to develop a quick reimbursement system for the overcharge. However, our financial team is made up of volunteers and the number of members affected is quite large. This means that a concrete effort from the University to resolve this issue would be remarkably helpful and we are focusing our energy on the grievance procedure. We are committed to being fully transparent about the process and keeping our members up to date. This message is a part of that commitment and though we cannot currently commit to a precise reimbursement date, we will follow up promptly. If you are severely affected by these overcharges, please contact geo@uigeo.org so we can discuss your individual situation. We are continuing to use all official channels available to us to rectify this mistake for the October pay cycle.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
April 2019 - GEO members vote to increase RA/PGA dues from $3 to $8
June 2019 - HR/Payroll confirm receipt of dues increase from GEO
July 2019 - Payroll changes RA/PGA dues to $8 but overcharges all TAs and GAs by $5
August 2019
Payroll changes RA/PGA dues back to $3 so TAs/GAs pay the correct amount but RAs/PGAs are undercharged by $5
GEO files a grievance and an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against UIUC
GEO meets with HR who agree to fix the dues issue as quickly as possible if GEO drops the ULP and grievance
HR and GEO agree that: TAs and GAs will now only see one dues charge totaling 2%. Previously they had two amounts shown, totaling 2%—a $3 charge and then (2% - $3). Regular RA and PGA dues will be $8.
To correct the August underpayment, RAs and PGAs will pay $13 in September but revert to $8 in October.
September 2019 - HR again overcharges TAs and GAs by charging them 2% PLUS $13
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org