Fair Contract Now for the Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND ADMINISTRATION, INTERIM VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND PROVOST WILLIAM BERNHARD, AND CHANCELLOR ROBERT JONES:
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I stand with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) in their current struggle to win a fair contract and formally demand that the University of Illinois Administration immediately sign GEO’s contract proposals for wages, fees, healthcare, access and justice to uphold the rights of graduate employees at UIUC.
We, the undersigned, stand with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) in their fight demanding that the University of Illinois Provost William Bernhard agree to a fair respectful contract for graduate workers at UIUC.
Provost Bernhard’s most recent proposal provides a pay cut relative to inflation and steals hundreds of dollars in fees from the workers who make the flagship campus of Champaign-Urbana run. In light of the U of I system’s $7.65 billion budget in 2023, their proposals are insulting and disrespect the lives and safety of graduate workers. From 2014 to 2020, administrative salaries increased by 26.9% while enrollment soared by 18%. Meanwhile, UIUC invests 62% less than the median of public institutions in tuition revenue for teaching. Graduate workers at Illinois currently receive the second-lowest compensation package in the Big Ten.
After surveying over a thousand graduate workers, GEO submitted proposals to the Provost with the following stipulations. GEO’s proposal would bring UIUC in line with our fellow Big Ten institutions:
Wages and Fee Waivers: Wages above inflation and full fee waivers.
Health and Safety: Guaranteed year-round healthcare and coverage for graduate workers and dependents, and safety protections during natural disasters.
Child Care: Childcare subsidies and access to educational spaces for children.
The Provost is threatening the community’s housing stability, public health, businesses who rely on the $255.7 million worth of student economic activity, and the power and solidarity of all workers in the Champaign-Urbana. We demand the Provost act now to grant a fair, respectful contract to all TAs and GAs to compensate them for the teaching, research, and administrative tasks they do every semester.
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To:
THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND ADMINISTRATION, INTERIM VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND PROVOST WILLIAM BERNHARD, AND CHANCELLOR ROBERT JONES:
From:
[Your Name]
I stand with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) in their current struggle to win a fair contract and formally demand that the University of Illinois Administration immediately sign GEO’s contract proposals for wages, fees, healthcare, access and justice to uphold the rights of graduate employees at UIUC.
We, the undersigned, stand with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) in their fight demanding that the University of Illinois Provost William Bernhard agree to a fair respectful contract for graduate workers at UIUC.
Provost Bernhard’s most recent proposal provides a pay cut relative to inflation and steals hundreds of dollars in fees from the workers who make the flagship campus of Champaign-Urbana run. In light of the U of I system’s $7.65 billion budget in 2023, their proposals are insulting and disrespect the lives and safety of graduate workers. From 2014 to 2020, administrative salaries increased by 26.9% while enrollment soared by 18%. Meanwhile, UIUC invests 62% less than the median of public institutions in tuition revenue for teaching. Graduate workers at Illinois currently receive the second-lowest compensation package in the Big Ten.
After surveying over a thousand graduate workers, GEO submitted proposals to the Provost with the following stipulations. GEO’s proposal would bring UIUC in line with our fellow Big Ten institutions:
Wages and Fee Waivers: Wages above inflation and full fee waivers.
Health and Safety: Guaranteed year-round healthcare and coverage for graduate workers and dependents, and safety protections during natural disasters.
Child Care: Childcare subsidies and access to educational spaces for children.
The Provost is threatening the community’s housing stability, public health, businesses who rely on the $255.7 million worth of student economic activity, and the power and solidarity of all workers in the Champaign-Urbana. We demand the Provost act now to grant a fair, respectful contract to all TAs and GAs to compensate them for the teaching, research, and administrative tasks they do every semester.