GEO Wins a Settlement for $3,314
During the 2025 Fall Semester, a graduate hourly worker was hired to lead multiple course sections a week, with job duties taking anywhere from 15-17 hours per week.
Since the job position was classified as a graduate hourly position as opposed to a teaching assistantship, they were paid $16.75 an hour, received no tuition or fee waivers, or any contract protections outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
After learning about the position, GEO initiated conversations with the department regarding unfairly classifying a graduate worker as an hourly worker instead of an assistantship. As a result of these conversations, GEO was able to negotiate a settlement of $3,314 in backpay to the graduate worker to make up for the wages they lost as a result of not being paid the minimum wage for an assistantship over the course of a semester.