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News :: Labor |
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TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
Current rating: 0 |
by Colleen
Email: ccolleen (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified!) |
16 Aug 2006
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Graduate Employees to University: “Bargain in Good Faith!”
“The fall semester begins one week from today,” said Christopher Simeone, lead negotiator for the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO). “Rather than greeting teaching assistants and graduate assistants with job security and respect, the University will welcome us back with frozen wages and unaffordable health care.” |
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Graduate employees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign rallied today, demanding that the administration negotiate with them in good faith as their contract expires.
“The fall semester begins one week from today,” said Christopher Simeone, lead negotiator for the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO). “Rather than greeting teaching assistants and graduate assistants with job security and respect, the University will welcome us back with frozen wages and unaffordable health care.”
The GEO has been negotitating its second contract with the University for three months. However, the adminstration has been unwilling to compromise on wages, student fees, and health insurance costs. Without a contract, the University will freeze grad employees’ wages this semester, despite the rising cost of living.
“Nearly one third of all classes at this University are taught by graduate employees, but 40 percent of us are unable to afford health insurance for our families,” said Simeone. “We are the backbone of the U of I. We should not be forced to work without a contract.”
Place: Outside of Grainger Engineering Library
1301 W. Springfield Avenue
Urbana, IL
Time: Tuesday August 15, 1:30 PM
The Graduate Employees’ Organization represents 2,800 graduate employees at the University of Illinois. For more information, visit www.uigeo.org . |
Related stories on this site:
Rally for Campus Workers
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This work is in the public domain. |
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Pictures from Tuesday's picket |
by Colleen
ccolleen (nospam) uiuc.edu (verified) |
Current rating: 0
16 Aug 2006
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Click on image for a larger version
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To see what is at stake for GEO members and for more up-to-date information on the GEO's bargaining, visit the GEO website at www.uigeo.org |
See also:
http://www.uigeo.org
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University Pulls One From Union-Busting Handbook – Freezes Grad Wages |
by Colleen
ccolleen (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
16 Aug 2006
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Click on image for a larger version
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It came to the attention of the GEO recently that the university has frozen wages for Fall 2006 pending finalization of a new contract with GEO--in other words, no raise for this year until the GEO finishes the contract or negotiates a side agreement.
Freezing wages is a standard bargaining tactic by the administration. During the last contract negotiations in 2004, the university used this as leverage to have the GEO quickly agree to a wage and fee structure. They want either to coerce the GEO to agree quickly to a low wage increase or publicly blame GEO for the absence of a raise. The proposal that the university currently has on the table calls for NO guaranteed wage increase ever and NO guaranteed minimum stipend ever. |
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Re: TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
by Kim Purkiss
purkiss2 (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
16 Aug 2006
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The rally yesterday was great, but it's only the beginning. As people roll into town and start to hear about how the university has behaved toward us, they'll get angry and they'll be out there with signs, too. We represent 2,700 people and 2,700 can make a lot of noise. |
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Re: TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
by laura
galicia (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
18 Aug 2006
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I can tell you first hand that the University's policies are forcing graduate student families to be on public aid. At 200 bucks a week for University-provided daycare, there's no way to make ends meet! And now, with the cost of dependent coverage up 100 bucks a semester ($520), we'll have to use loan money to keep her insured. But no doctor in this area is taking new Medicaid patients. There's just too few doctors in Champaign-Urbana to meet the need of low-income families! So when my baby ran a fever of 104 on June 30th and I called her doctor at Frances Nelson, I couldn't get an appointment till the end of August!
Now there's no separating what's happening in the University from what's going on outisde of it. Neoliberal policies are everywhere! But here I am, in an institution that'll take my picture and and claim diversity. Well, you know what? Take this message and post it instead! 'Cause I need a new contract NOW!
laura galicia |
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Re: TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
by god knows what
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
19 Aug 2006
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This country simply can't afford these idiotic costly wars, as meanwhile it is killing by no access to health care its own children, not mentioning others. |
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Re: TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
by garden variety citizen
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
19 Aug 2006
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I've seen the billboards around town from GEO, they are good. Keep up the good work! |
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Re: TAs and GAs Demand Fair Pay, Healthcare as Contract Expires |
by th0rn
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Aug 2006
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The U of I is today, a capitalist corporation, no longer an institute of higher learning. It's a sign of the times, and so, so sad. Nothing but a student-staffed R&D dept for BigPharm and BigTelecom. And very cost effective for them. Just takes greasing the right palms, and the whole operation is their oyster. Which includes trying to screw the employees, exactly like a profit-driven business. |
