GEO announces strike at UI to begin at 8 a.m. Monday (University of Illinois)

[fishwax]

Source: Champaign News-Gazette

The union representing graduate and teaching assistants at the University of Illinois will go on strike at 8 a.m. Monday.

But the UI said the issue over which the strike was called is an "11th-hour" issue that had not been part of the negotiations until Saturday.

The union and the UI both said they had reached agreement on almost every issue in a six-hour bargaining session on Saturday.

But the union sought a guarantee of continued tuition waivers for graduate and teaching assistants, the GEO said.

Read more: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/11/15/geo_announces_strike_at_ui_to_begin_at_8_am_monday

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The university's suggestion that this is an "11th-hour" issue is false. Protection for tuition waivers has been a focus for the GEO from the beginning. The claim is particularly amusing in light of the fact that the university has stalled throughout the negotiation process. The union had to call for a federal mediator just to get the administration to agree to talk about something other than the ground rules for negotiation. The union has been bargaining for seven months and has been working without a contract for three months, but the administration didn't get around to actually offering a wage proposal until the union filed an intent to strike petition and then scheduled a strike authorization vote (a little less than two weeks ago).

[Ava83]

1. There was

also a protest in Springfield this past week at an University meeting.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think that the University is dealing with so much they do not know where to start.

[fishwax]

3. yep -- that was at the Board of Trustees meeting

Welcome to DU, Ava83! :hi:

[Ava83]

7. Hi!

Thank you!!

[bluestateguy]

2. Remember what happened at NYU

They struck and the university just waited them out, and then threatened to cut off fellowships and tuition waivers. About 90% of the strikers sheepishly came back to work. The strike was broken. I don't know what happened to the rest of the holdouts.

[fishwax]

4. that was a much different situation -- NYU wasn't negotiating with the GSOC

NYU didn't recognize the right of the union to bargain collectively for the graduate students in the 2005 dispute. The U of I doesn't have that luxury.

[Ava83]

5. I agree

Funds are so tight they have to find a way to work this out. It is 110% U of I does not have luxury.

My mini rant on education funding

What I am still trying to figure out is why some in Springfield think that higher education is not important? (not sure if the wording is correct...but I hope you understand what I am trying to get at) Heck K-12 is being treated the same way.

[JDPriestly]

19. In this job market, why go to graduate school if you have to pay tuition?

You are better off just working at Burger King for minimum wage than you are racking up huge debts for graduate school tuition for a degree that probably won't ever get you a job.

[caraher]

20. That's true for most graduate programs in any job market

Maybe law school pays... but with most academic fields you'd better not be in it for the money! Tuition waivers are critical to allowing grad students to subsist without increasing their existing debt too much.

[a la izquierda]

6. solidarity forever...

we can't strike as GTAs in Oklahoma. Sucks, because our pay is right at the poverty line, and most of us end up thousands in debt just to make ends meet.

[fishwax]

10. Solidarity!

Thanks, a la izquierda. One thing about Oklahoma is they're certainly not keen on unions. I was there during the battle to pass "right to work" several years ago. But I know that at OU, as here at UIUC, Graduate Workers provide cheap and effective labor for the university, bring in thousands in tuition, and see very little in return.

If you have professors or fellow grad students who would be sympathetic to what the UI GEO is fighting for, it'd be great if you could get them to contact the Board of Trustees or the Provost:

University of Illinois Board of Trustees
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] (Ask for Chairman Christopher Kennedy, and if he's not there ask to leave a message.)

Interim Provost Robert Easter
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] (Ask for Provost Robert Easter, and if he's not there ask to leave a message.)

I think hearing opposition from academics across the land who support the fight to keep tuition waivers, the basic condition of possibility for graduate study for all but the wealthiest of Americans, will put a lot of pressure on this administration to move.

Anyway, thanks for chiming in your support, and on a side note, it was nice to see the Sooners bounce back last night :) (Even though I missed the broadcast because I was at the bargaining meeting/rally.)

[Bill McBlueState]

8. Wow, I'm surprised they can strike legally

My union at UMass was pretty strong, but even we had a no-strike clause.

Solidarity!

[tishaLA]

9. In the UCs we have struck a couple times

It always pisses off administration and undergrads, but it's also effective.

[fishwax]

11. We had a no-strike clause for the duration of the contract, but the contract expired in August

We had a clause that wouldn't allow us to strike in sympathy for other unions, and I'm not sure what all else that might have covered (as far as reopening negotiations mid-contract). But we've been working without a contract since August now, and when the union held the strike authorization vote two weeks ago, 92% voted in favor.

The GEO has been asking supporters to contact the Board of Trustees and the Provost to express their support for the union and pressure the administration into protecting a key condition of our employment. If you had the time and inclination to send an email or make a phone call, I know it would be appreciated.

University of Illinois Board of Trustees
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] (Ask for Chairman Christopher Kennedy, and if he's not there ask to leave a message.)

Interim Provost Robert Easter
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone] (Ask for Provost Robert Easter, and if he's not there ask to leave a message.)

On a personal note, Bill McBlueState, I remember when the UMass union went through negotiations, as I had just started working in graduate school myself. Earlier this week, while searching DU's archives for stories about graduate labor movements, I came across a post of yours in which you tell about how Senator Kennedy refused to cross your union's picket lines, and that pressured the administration into settling with you. Ironically, Ted Kennedy's nephew Christopher Kennedy (RFK's son) was recently named Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois, so (in terms of title, at least) he's lined up on the "other side" of the GEO here. Anyway, I was moved by your story, and I don't know whether you'd feel comfortable including it in an email to the BOT or not, but I wonder if Chairman Kennedy might find it touching as well.

At any rate, thanks for the post of solidarity! :hi:

[smoogatz]

12. We're trying to unionize faculty at my U in WI

We don't have TAs by UW system mandate. We were not allowed by law to unionize until this fall--and were unique among Wisconsin state employees in that regard. What we find here is that we're unlikely to make much headway on wage issues anytime soon because the state's finances are in such godawful shape (thinks, wingnuts!), even though we languish in the UW system at around 25% less than equivalent institutions in IL, MN and IA (all unionized, naturally). But we can make progress, probably, on issues like workload and workplace equity, gender equity (a serious problem here, especially for women faculty with young children) fairness of the review process, etc. So, as someone who looks forward to union representation--hang tough, and solidarity, yes!

[fishwax]

14. Good luck, smoogatz!

I know it can be a long, grueling process, but it will be worth it. So good luck, and thanks for the support. :hi:

[janx]

13. Graduate and teaching assistants? How many adjuncts do you

have?

I'm curious. Do you have adjuncts, and do they have a union?

[fishwax]

15. we do have adjuncts, but unfortunately they don't have a union

I wish I knew how many we had, but it varies from department to department. But they are here, as in most campuses, among the most vulnerable and exploited employees the university has. :(

[caraher]

16. I'm still trying to figure out what is at issue

Obviously the claim that this was an eleventh-hour addition is bogus. At the same time, UI officials seem to be saying they already have rules that prohibit making any changes with respect to tuition waivers outside the bargaining process. On one hand, this would make the commitment being requested an easy "concession," which I suppose is why GEO claims reluctance to do so as evidence of some hidden intention to pull waivers at some point.

So do such rules exist? It seems to me that if they do there's not much to be gained on this issue simply because no commitment the university makes in this contract has any force beyond the term of the contract. Or is there some enormous loophole that GEO is worried about?

These fights are important. What struck me most about the items agreed upon is how much better I thought the contracts were when I was in grad school at Michigan, particularly the health care (which was paid in full by the University, though they also tried to nickel-and-dime us by creating "Gradcare" - a scaled-down version of the coverage offered to other university employees). Knock even discounted health care premiums from a grad student's paycheck and you're talking a lot of Ramen noodles... pull tuition waivers and watch the graduate students melt away... unless they raise stipends a corresponding amount (which strikes me as a dumb move for all involved).

[fishwax]

17. The main loophole is with out of state tuition

The Board of Trustees has a policy in place that guarantees waivers for in-state tuition, and both sides in the debate have agreed that before that policy is changed the GEO will have the right to bargain the impact.

However, the "reopener" applies only to a change in the Board of Trustees policy, not to any change in the university's practice. Since out-of-state tuition isn't covered by policy, the administration could revoke them at any time and the GEO would have no recourse to protect its members. (There may also be other loopholes, such as creating additional types of tuition or changing the nature of various appointments, I'm not sure--but the immediate and primary concern is the non-resident tuition.)

Thanks for your response and input, caraher. I know that the UM GEO has faced similar fights, and as I understand it there is actually a contingent from the UM GEO coming down to support us in person tomorrow :woohoo:. I agree that these fights are important, and I hope that a strong showing tomorrow will drive the administration to reconsider.

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. The notion that "out of state" tuition is treated differently for graduate programs is ludicrous

Any graduate program at a big research 1 school like Champaign-Urbana recruits nationally, period, or they don't have fuck all of a graduate program. It's just crazy to me that "out-of-state" tuition even applies at the graduate level, where almost everyone is on waiver in the first place. Nuts.

Wishing you well in your strike, in any case. Another - ahem - Big Ten school defeated our unionization attempts pretty brutally when I was in grad school.

[caraher]

22. That makes sense...

The explanation, that is, not the idea of treating in-state vs. out-of-state tuition differently (and what does that distinction really mean anyway - grad students generally wind up being de facto residents of the state their schools are in anyway!).

I was actually planning to be in Urbana Thursday for completely unrelated reasons... I hope your strike is so short and successful there will be nothing labor-related of any great significance to see when I visit!

[JVS]

25. "grad students generally wind up being de facto residents of the state their schools are in anyway!"

Not in a legally binding sense. In order to qualify for Illinois' in state tuition rate, you must have worked a job inside the state for one year without being enrolled in any educational institution. Thus no out of state grad students ever become in state as far as the people assessing tuition fees are concerned.

[caraher]

26. Right

I guess my point is that they're really just as much Illinois residents as anyone else moving to the state to work a job, even though state universities generally do throw up barriers to becoming "in-state" for tuition purposes unless you do something like take a year or more off from school.

[caraher]

21. My message to the trustees and provost

Just sent this email:

To the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and Interim Provost Robert Easter,

I am disappointed to learn that the Illinois GEO has called a strike over the question of tuition waivers for graduate student employees. My understanding is that although there exists a a policy in place that guarantees waivers for in-state tuition, there is no policy or contract language that guarantees out-of-state graduate students continued tuition waivers.

It was my pleasure to visit UIUC this year and work with some of the top-notch graduate students gathered there. As you know, these students are drawn from all over the world, and few could carry on their fine work without tuition waivers. Any change in practice that would deny or reduce tuition waivers for out-of-state students would only erode the University's status as a world-class institution of higher education. If it is your intent to continue to offer waivers to these students, contract language securing the availability of waivers for out-of-state students would seem to cost nothing.

My department's top graduating student is considering a number of doctoral programs, Illinois among them. As she would be an out-of-state student were she to attend UIUC I would be concerned about recommending that she attend Illinois if the administration is reluctant to write into a contract a guarantee of tuition waiver benefits to out-of-state graduate student employees. Reluctance to make a firm commitment on this issue can only erode your institution's ability to compete for the very best graduate students. I hope that you will reconsider, especially when the two sides are otherwise satisfied with the agreement you have hammered out at the bargaining table.

[davsand]

23. I got an email from Jobs With Justice about the strike.

Sorry I am not able to be out on line with you guys, please know I'm sending you my best wishes for a speedy resolution.

Have any of the other locals been out on line with you so far? I'd think SEIU and AFSCME would have at least a few folks turn up over the lunch hour, and some of the guys from the trades usually show up. The Stagehands have enjoyed some pretty good support from you guys in the last couple years and it'd be nice to see them pay back a bit-- have they showed up yet?




Laura

[fishwax]

24. other unions have definitely come out for us

I saw several people in SEIU shirts and SEIU purple, and apparently some folks from the SEIU local up at UI-Chicago. AFSCME was there, as well as a few folks from other AFT locals, and Grad Students and/or Grad Student Organizations from (by my count, based on what I heard announced at one of the picket lines) U of Michigan, Michigan State, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madison, and UIC. Apparently, from a report I heard second-hand, there were Teamsters (UPS Drivers) who refused to cross our picket lines at one of the buildings. The support has really been inspirational.

Thanks for the good wishes! Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to put it to rest! :hi: