Archive for June, 2012

When: Thursday, July 5th, 2 p.m.
Where: Room 610 of Student Center East

At this meeting, we will consider questions of special importance to Graduate Assistants: the notice of GA taxation and the taxation of GA tuition waivers according to IRS laws. While all UIC graduate students are welcome to attend, Graduate Assistants are especially encouraged to come to this important meeting. If you’re a GA who felt blindsided by the waiver taxation and would be interested in addressing this through a testimonial at the bargaining session, please contact Caleb Hardner, Bargaining Chair, at bargaining@uic-geo.net. You can also RSVP to the session on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/uicgeo

It’s the first post of the 2012 Contract Campaign Blog from the Bargaining Chair, Caleb Hardner! Head on over to the GEO Blog here: http://uic-geo.net/blog/?p=105

June 1, 2012

The University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate Employees Organization (UIC GEO, IFT/AFT Local 6297, AFL-CIO), the union of 1400 Teaching and Graduate Assistants at UIC, supports SEIU Local 73 and its efforts to attain a fair contract in recognition of the important work its members do at the university.

The UIC administration has refused to grant raises beyond the campus wage program. We request that the administration return to the bargaining table and resume wage negotiations to ensure that UIC employees earn a fair and decent wage. It is the administration’s role as an employer to provide job and economic security for its employees, and the administration can provide that by settling a fair contract now with SEIU. They are an integral part of the success of the university and deserve the administration’s respect both in the process of negotiations and their working conditions.

Members of the UIC GEO will continue to support SEIU in their contract negotiations. Our members understand that for UIC to achieve its goal as a world-class educational institution, it must provide decent working conditions and contractual rights to its employees. Everyone involved shares an interest in the quality of education and employment at UIC, and the administration has the power to demonstrate that it values the contributing members of its institution by prioritizing their needs at these basic levels by providing a decent wage.
On behalf of UIC GEO, we strongly urge the administration to return to the bargaining table and take the necessary steps to negotiate a proper contract.

In Solidarity,

The Members of UIC GEO, IFT/AFT Local 6297, AFL-CIO