Particularly troubling [...]]]> We, the Graduate Employees Organization of the Urbana-Champaign campus, are deeply troubled by the Board of Trustees’ decision this spring to increase tuition by 9.5%. A rise in already high tuition rates makes higher education untenable for working class residents of Illinois—a state where the official unemployment rate is greater than 11%.

Particularly troubling was the Board of Trustees’ lack of response to alternative options posed by numerous campus and community organizations. On May 4th not a single Trustee appeared for a Senate meeting with the Subcommittee on Containing Costs and Tuition with Chairman Senator Sandoval (D-Chicago). On May 5th the UIUC Student Senate overwhelmingly endorsed a tuition freeze by a vote of 27-8-1. This resolution was provided to all Trustees and mentioned during public comment at the May 20th Board meeting. At the May 20th Board meeting the calls of more than 200 protestors, including undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty, and alumni, to freeze tuition were not heard.

The state of Illinois continues its failure to fund public higher education in Illinois, but a tuition increase is not a solution for this failure. The increase in tuition revenue represents only a small percentage of the budget shortfall, but will have significant negative impacts on the ability of working class families to send their children to the University of Illinois.

The only way to change the relationship between the University of Illinois and the state legislature is political pressure and lobbying, not only to receive currently owed funding, but for the state to return to higher levels of public funding for public universities. As the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois, it is your responsibility to send a clear message to the state legislature that the combination of tuition increases and the continued reduction of public funding of higher education is unacceptable and disproportionately burdens students from working class families. Recently, both former president Ikenberry and incoming president Hogan have stated that the University of Illinois should no longer rely on the state for funding. It is troubling to hear the leaders of this public institution excuse the state’s lack of funding and move towards privatization. We need leaders like those at Southern Illinois University who have already taken a strong stance, enacting a tuition freeze for AY10/11 to relieve working and middle-class families of some of their increasing hardships. The University of Illinois is the state’s flagship institution of public higher education, and should join Southern Illinois University as a leader in protecting the accessibility of our universities.

While we disagree with the decision you made regarding tuition this year, we recognize that now is the time to begin planning for next year. There is a powerful grassroots movement in Illinois and in the United States to stop the privatization of public institutions. Your tuition increase is a stance against public education and accessibility at Illinois’ flagship institution. However, we encourage you in the coming months to reconsider your decision and join students, staff, faculty, and workers in communities throughout our state in the movement to defend public education. Will you meet with us to discuss the future of public higher education in Illinois? We can be reached at geo@uigeo.org or 217-344-8283.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Seawell
Kathryn Walkiewicz
Co-presidents, Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO

From the Graduate Employees’ Organization

April 19, 2010

Dear Sirs and Madams,

As you know, the State of Illinois owes the University of Illinois system about $500 million, with a significant portion of that amount due to the Urbana campus. As the budget crisis has come to a head, we [...]]]> An Open Letter to top University of Illinois Administrators

From the Graduate Employees’ Organization

April 19, 2010

Dear Sirs and Madams,

As you know, the State of Illinois owes the University of Illinois system about $500 million, with a significant portion of that amount due to the Urbana campus. As the budget crisis has come to a head, we of the Graduate Employees’ Organization will continue to contribute our efforts to ensure the future of accessible and high quality education at the University of Illinois.

We are committed to ensuring that the University of Illinois remain true to its mission as a public land grant institution to provide education that is truly accessible to all, regardless of economic background.

Quality and accessible education at our University is under siege—class size is growing to untenable proportions, faculty are being furloughed, and budget cuts are affecting the education we are able to provide our students. Meanwhile, Interim President Ikenberry told the Daily Illini that a tuition increase of at least 9% may be necessary, indicating also that the university may not be able to maintain its status as a top institution.

Rather than accept the necessity of making this institution even less accessible to working class students in Illinois, we’re renting buses and going to Springfield with other members of the UC United Coalition, the same consortium of labor unions and student activist groups that brought us the March 4^th rally to defend public education.

The GEO and UC United will join thousands of education employees to not only ask for the money currently owed this university by the state, but to demand that state lawmakers recognize the importance of funding public education in Illinois.  And we are saving you a seat on the bus.

So will you join us on April 21 to lobby in Springfield for accessible public education and fair treatment of University employees, and help us keep the University of Illinois at the top?

Let us know – we can be reached at geo@uigeo.org, or 217-344-8283.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Seawell

Kathryn Walkiewicz

Co-Presidents, Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO.

Urbana-Champaign (April 19): On April 21, about 50 members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) will join the UC United Coalition at the Illinois state capitol to lobby for increased support [...]]]> GEO SENDS OPEN LETTER TO UIUC ADMINISTRATION ASKING TOP ADMINISTRATORS TO JOIN EDUCATION EMPLOYEES TO LOBBY FOR STATE SUPPORT

Urbana-Champaign (April 19): On April 21, about 50 members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) will join the UC United Coalition at the Illinois state capitol to lobby for increased support for public education.

The UC United Coalition, a consortium of labor unions and student activist groups at UIUC, has prepared a legislative action platform for its members to take to Springfield.

The platform includes support for tax increases that will support public education in Illinois, opposition to a bill that would strip 50% tuition waivers for children of University employees, principled opposition to furloughs for civil service employees, and a bill that would eliminate the ability of politicians to nominate persons for General Assembly scholarships.

GEO members have been preparing for “lobby day” for several weeks.  “Our members are highly educated about our platform, and we look forward to productive conversations with state lawmakers,” said Stephanie Seawell, GEO Co-President and co-chair of the GEO’s lobbying and legislative action committee.

The GEO has also published an open letter to top University of Illinois administrators, urging them to join the UC United Coalition on lobby day.  “Clearly, the University is facing a crisis in state funding, and President Ikenberry has been vocal in demanding more money from the state,” said Natalie Uhl, GEO Communications Officer.  “We see lobby day as an excellent opportunity for President Ikenberry and top UIUC administrators to join campus workers and students to demand that Springfield recognize the benefits of adequate public funding for higher education.”  A copy of the open letter is available on the GEO website.

The GEO and the UC United Coalition call on President Ikenberry to follow the example of Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard and pledge not to increase tuition.  “Ikenberry’s statements about how the University should respond to the state budget shortfall signal a privatized U of I that will only be accessible to the wealthy,” said Peter Campbell, GEO communications committee member.

“Public funding for higher education pays dividends for the state economy,” said Uhl.  “We hope that top U of I administrators join us in Springfield to send the message that for our flagship public institution, tuition increases, layoffs and furloughs are not an acceptable substitute for state funds.”

The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 2700 Teaching and Graduate Assistants on the UIUC Campus.  In November 2009, over 1,000 GEO members successfully went on strike to secure a fair contract and more accessible UIUC.  With events like lobby day, the GEO continues to work for high quality and accessible public education in Illinois.

For more information, please contact Natalie Uhl, GEO Communications Officer, at 317-652-7298 or natalieuhl@gmail.com.  More information can also be found on our website at uigeo.org.

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URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (March 4) – On March 4, 2010, over 300 members [...]]]> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS UC UNITED COALITION STAGES 300 PERSON MARCH AND RALLY FOR MARCH 4TH NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO DEFEND PUBLIC EDUCATION
UC United Coalition challenges University of Illinois administration to follow example of Southern Illinois University in freezing tuition

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (March 4) – On March 4, 2010, over 300 members of the UC United Coalition of students, workers, and faculty staged a march and rally for an accessible, diverse, and democratic University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on the UIUC campus as part of the March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Public Education.  Rally participants marched from the campus’ Alma Mater statue and around the entire Liberal Arts and Sciences Quad before staging a rally in front of the Swanlund Administration Building.

State funding for public education has been decreasing for years, and the University of Illinois administration has consistently accepted budget cuts as it transforms the University into a privatized and corporatized institution.  The UC United Coalition will be present at the April 21st lobbying day in Springfield, and we call on the University of Illinois administration to join us in not only pleading with the state to avoid further cuts, but in demanding that public education be recognized as vital for the future prosperity of the state and funded accordingly.

The major burden of the lack of state funding has been placed on low income workers and students, rather than on bloated administrative units and salaries.  Speakers at the rally called for a tuition and fee freeze in the face of University of Illinois Interim President Ikenberry’s recent statements that significant tuition increases, layoffs and furloughs are inevitable and necessary responses to the shortfall in Illinois state funding for the University.

The planned tuition increase will functionally transform the University of Illinois into a private institution that funds almost all of its instruction and research through tuition.  This is completely contrary to the mission of the University as a public, land grant institution.

Without direct action in support of public education, higher education in the state of Illinois will be available only to the wealthy.  As Susan Davis, CFA Executive Committee member and Professor in the Department of Communication said, the University of Illinois administration’s policy “places the burden of the current budget shortfall on personnel and students.”

The University of Illinois administration’s claim that tuition increases, layoffs, and furloughs are a necessary response to the state budget shortfall is especially disappointing given that President Glenn Poshard of Southern Illinois University (SIU) has pledged that SIU will not increase tuition.  SIU will instead explore other options to weather the shortfall including borrowing and drawing on University reserves.  President Poshard told Codell Rodriguez of The Southern on March 4 that “financial troubles have been on the backs of middle to low income families for too long.”

UC United Coalition members agree. Because Illinois citizens, students and low paid workers are suffering the most from the current economy, “it doesn’t make sense for the state to pull out of funding for higher education, and for the University to hike tuition and fees,” said Mukta Tripathy, Graduate Employees’ Organization Officer-at-Large.

Southern Illinois University faces an even more serious budget shortfall than the University of Illinois, as it receives a much higher percentage of its overall funding from the state.  The UC United Coalition applauds President Ikenberry’s public opposition to state budget cuts and his efforts to mobilize alumni lobbying campaigns.  However, these efforts are negated by the UI administration’s policies in response to existing cuts.  Speaking at the rally, UC United Coalition and GEO representative Peter Campbell called on President Ikenberry to follow the leadership of President Poshard and refuse to solve Illinois’ budget problems on the backs of those people who are hardest hit by the recession.

The UC United Coalition demands transparency and accountability in budget decisions so that the University of Illinois administration can work with the campus community to find creative ways to address the budget shortfall.  We reject the claim that there is no possibility of drawing on non-state revenue sources in the UI budget to fund instruction and personnel. For more information, please see the Graduate Employees’ Organization fact sheet “Myths and Facts about the University of Illinois Budget” attached to this release, which can also be downloaded at http://www.uigeo.org/2010/03/03/geo-disputes-administration-budget-claims-releases-ui-budget-myths-and-facts-document/.

The UC United Coalition includes the Graduate Employees’ Organization (AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO), the Campus Labor Coalition, the Undergrad-Graduate Alliance, the Campus Faculty Association, La Colectiva, and the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority.  UC United demands that the University of Illinois (UI) administration center the priorities of the University of Illinois around access, diversity, democracy, and quality.  Specifically, UC United calls for a tuition and fee freeze, an end to layoffs and furloughs of workers and faculty, a democratic campus with shared governance in policy decisions, the recruitment and retention of a diverse campus population of workers, students, and faculty that is truly representative of the State of Illinois, and transparency about the UI budget.  The UC United Coalition also calls for progressive state and federal funding for all levels of public education.

For more information about the UC United Coalition, the March 4 rally, and other upcoming events, please visit our event page at uicrisis.org and/or contact any of the following representatives: Peter Campbell, GEO Communications Officer, 253-222-5861, odell.campbell@gmail.com, uigeo.org; Harriet Murav, Campus Faculty Association, 217-359-5394, and Jim Barret, Campus Faculty Association, 217-352-2714; Pete Rhomberg, Undergraduate-Graduate Alliance, (708) 828-9926, rhomberger3000@gmail.com.

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Union officials also raised questions about the [...]]]> The GEO contract prevents bargaining unit members from being furloughed. The administration may seek to furlough other unionized campus workers, however, including academic professionals and civil service employees. Julie Wurth’s full article is available from the News-Gazette. The following excerpt includes a statement from GEO Communications Officer Peter Campbell:

Union officials also raised questions about the need for furloughs and the university’s budget priorities.

“I’m still not totally sure that the university is in as dire straits as they let on,” Miller said.

McGuire said the university’s budget actually grew by $500 million this year, from $4.2 billion to $4.7 billion, though not from state sources.

He noted that the governor hasn’t asked for a budget rescission yet.

“I’m not saying there isn’t an issue here, but I think they’re getting a little ahead of themselves,” McGuire said.

Miller wondered what the UI will do if and when the state catches up on its payments. Ikenberry indicated employees could be reimbursed if the UI receives its full appropriation, but he expressed doubt that that will happen.

Peter Campbell, communications officer for the Graduate Employees’ Organization, said the furlough policy is an improvement on earlier proposals. But he said furloughs aren’t necessarily “the best way to respond to this crisis.”

He’d like to see more efforts to shift funding away from administrative units to academic programs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GEO REFUTES UIUC ADMINISTRATION’S CLAIMS REGARDING CONTRAT NEGOTIATIONS

TUITION WAIVERS HAVE BEEN A CENTRAL ISSUE SINCE APRIL; ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO GUARANTEE CONTINUATION OF [...]]]>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GEO REFUTES UIUC ADMINISTRATION’S CLAIMS REGARDING CONTRAT NEGOTIATIONS

TUITION WAIVERS HAVE BEEN A CENTRAL ISSUE SINCE APRIL; ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO GUARANTEE CONTINUATION OF CURRENT PRACTICE

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 15): The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign administration has released two extremely misleading statements to press outlets regarding ongoing contract negotiations.

The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), American Federation of Teachers/Illinois Federation of Teachers Local 6300, AFL-CIO, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), rejects the claim that tuition waiver security is an “eleventh hour” addition to the bargaining process. In fact, on the first day of negotiations in April the GEO submitted a comprehensive proposal with language explicitly intended to guarantee that the current tuition waiver structure would not be changed for the duration of the contract. Since that moment the GEO has openly and publicly announced the four “pillars” of its contract platform, including a statement that the GEO seeks a contract “preserving the tuition waivers that allow graduate programs at UIUC to attract and retain the best graduate student employees available.”  This statement was included in GEO press releases beginning on May 5.  The GEO would be happy to email or fax documentation proving the administration’s “11th hour” claim false .

More importantly, the administration also claims that they have offered the GEO the full ability to bargain over any change to the tuition waiver policy.  This is NOT the case.  The administration proposal would only allow the GEO to bargain the impact of eliminating in-state tuition waivers.  Most graduate employees receive out of state tuition waivers.  The claim that the administration proposal represents any protection for most tuition waivers on campus is false.

The administration’s proposed side letter states that the “university will bargain the impact of any change by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to the graduate assistant tuition waiver policy set forth in Article IV, Section 5, of the General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedures.”  Article IV, Section 5 only guarantees base rate tuition, or in-state tuition waivers. Thus, the administration side letter only promises to bargain the impact of eliminating base-rate tuition waivers.  It does not allow for the GEO to bargain the impact of any other change to current tuition waiver practice, under which most TAs and GAs receive full tuition waivers.  For example, if the administration were to reduce out of state tuition waivers to only cover in-state tuition, the GEO would not have the ability to prevent its members being assessed additional charges of over $13,000 per year. The GEO’s proposed side letter would have required the administration to bargain the impact of any change to current tuition waiver practice.*  This was rejected by the University administration.

In sum, the administration’s proposal does not sufficiently protect the ability of the GEO to bargain a change to tuition waiver policy.  The GEO’s proposal would not cost the University any additional money.  The fact that the administration rejected the proposal knowing a strike was imminent indicates that it indeed seeks the ability to drastically reduce tuition waivers for graduate employees.  Tuition waivers are standard practice at public research universities throughout the country, and are central to the University of Illinois’ mission as a public, land grant institution.  By not agreeing to a zero-cost proposal that would allow the GEO to bargain to protect current tuition waiver practice, the University administration signals a vision of graduate education that is inaccessible to poor and middle income persons.

GEO bargaining unit members teach 23.1% of all undergraduate course hours at UIUC, and perform comparably to faculty in official student evaluations of instructor performance as measured by the University of Illinois’ Center for Teaching Excellence.   Yet our salaries draw only 6.5% of state funding, including salaries for GAs and Research Assistants, who don’t teach.  By contrast, faculty salaries draw over 55% of the University budget.  Graduate employee labor is vital to the fiscally efficient provision of the University’s core service, academic instruction. Tuition waivers allow the University of Illinois to enjoy this cheap labor, as it would not have access to a pool of workers able to teach so much for so little without granting tuition waivers.  Again, without protection for tuition waivers, graduate education and graduate employment will only be accessible to the wealthy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Peter Campbell, GEO Communications Officer, odell.campbell@gmail.com, 253-222-5861, or the GEO office at geo@uigeo.org, 217-344-8283, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL, 61820.  Information about the GEO can also be found on our website at www.uigeo.org.

*THE GEO’s proposed SIDE LETTER reads: “The Union recognizes the Board of Trustees’ right to set tuition waiver policy in accordance with its practices of shared governance. During the term of this Agreement, the University will bargain in good faith with the Union any changes in the tuition waivers of any bargaining unit member or members.”

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GEO MEMBERSHIP TO STAGE RALLY FOR A FAIR CONTRACT OUTSIDE OF BARGAINING ROOM IN THE INSTITUTE OF AVIATION

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 14): At 2:30 pm, the bargaining team [...]]]> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: UIUC GRADUATE EMPLOYEES’ ORGANIZATION TO HOLD BARGAINING SESSION WITH UIUC ADMINISTRATION 2:30 PM, SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14 AT WILLARD AIRPORT IN CHAMPAIGN – GEO IS PREPARED TO STRIKE

GEO MEMBERSHIP TO STAGE RALLY FOR A FAIR CONTRACT OUTSIDE OF BARGAINING ROOM IN THE INSTITUTE OF AVIATION

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 14): At 2:30 pm, the bargaining team of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), American Federation of Teachers/Illinois Federation of Teachers Local 6300, AFL-CIO, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), will meet the UIUC administration bargaining team for bargaining session at Willard Airport in Champaign, IL.  Members of the GEO will be present in the bargaining room, and GEO members will also stage a rally outside of the room in support of the bargaining team’s efforts.  Unless significant movement is made on the GEO’s core contract issues on Saturday, the strike committee of the GEO is prepared to call a strike to begin as early as Monday morning.

The GEO is a labor union representing all teaching and graduate assistants (TAs and GAs) on the UIUC campus.  With over 2600 GEO members, and over 2600 graduate employees represented in the bargaining unit, the GEO is one of the largest higher education union locals in the United States.  Over the course of a three day vote, an overwhelming 92% of participating UIUC GEO members voted last week to authorize a strike against the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.  With the vote, GEO members have given the strike committee of the UIUC GEO a clear mandate to call a strike at any time.

While the GEO is seeking an increase in the minimum salary to the University of Illinois’ (UI) Office of Student Financial Services own estimate of a living wage in Urbana-Champaign, a proposal that represents less than two-tenths of one percent the overall UIUC budget, the decision to authorize a strike is about much more than wages.  The UIUC administration’s most regressive proposals concern non-salary issues. First, the administration claims that UI Board of Trustees Policy protects tuition waivers, but only in-state tuition waivers for GAs (not TAs) are protected, and the administration has moved to drastically reduce tuition waiver coverage in the past.  Tuition waivers are essential to the University of Illinois’ mission as a public land grant institution, as they help to ensure that graduate education is truly accessible to all who show merit, regardless of economic background.

The UIUC administration seeks to characterize tuition waivers as part of compensation, but this is highly misleading, as tuition is not considered in the OSFA’s estimate of a living wage.  Many graduate employees do not receive full tuition waivers, and can pay as much as $10,000 for tuition while providing vital instructional labor for the University.  Protecting tuition waivers as they now stand would represent no increased cost to UIUC.  The administration’s reluctance to do so is totally contrary to UIUC’s stated commitment to not only excellence in education and research, but the ability to provide truly accessible access to education as part of UIUC’s mission as a land-grant institution.

The GEO strike authorization is also in reaction to the UIUC administration’s proposed “scope of the agreement” clause, which would prevent the GEO from re-opening bargaining for the entire three year duration of the proposed contract.  This is a highly regressive proposal that seeks to undermine the purpose of union protection for employees, and the UIUC Campus Labor Coalition supports the GEO in refusing to agree to this clause.

GEO bargaining unit members teach 23.1% of all undergraduate course hours at UIUC, and perform comparably to faculty in official student evaluations of instructor performance as measured by the University of Illinois’ Center for Teaching Excellence.   Yet our salaries draw only 6.5% of state funding, including salaries for GAs and Research Assistants, who don’t teach.  By contrast, faculty salaries draw over 55% of the University budget.  Graduate employee labor is vital to the fiscally efficient provision of the University’s core service, academic instruction. Should graduate employee salaries be set to a living wage, the University would still have a large pool of inexpensive and high quality instructional and administrative labor.

The GEO has been negotiating with UIUC administrators for over six months.  While the GEO presented the administration with a full contract proposal on the first day of negotiations, the UIUC administration declined to offer a counterproposal until August 11th, just four days before the GEO’s previous contract expired.  The UIUC administration’s initial contract proposal sought to freeze GEO wages for three years, reserve the right to furlough and layoff graduate employees in good standing, and to count “in-kind” compensation such as housing or meal vouchers toward the minimum salary mandated in the contract.  The administration still seeks to freeze GEO wages, refuse to provide contractual protection for tuition waivers, and take away the GEO’s right to re-open bargaining during the contract should the administration make any substantial change in employment conditions.

GEO members have been working hard to avoid a strike.  Hundreds of GEO members have participated in six major demonstrations, and GEO members have also lobbied the Illinois House of Representatives Higher Education Appropriations Committee, spoken with state legislators from Champaign, actively informed campus community members about the issues, and maintained a constant presence in Urbana-Champaign print, radio and television media.  The Illinois Student Senate has passed two resolutions in support of the GEO and the decision to authorize a strike, and the University of Illinois Faculty Senate passed a resolution of non-retaliation.  Several departments and dozens of faculty have issued public resolutions in support of the GEO, and over a dozen undergraduate representatives of Registered Student Organizations representing hundreds of undergraduate students issued a resolution in support of the GEO’s strike authorization.  UIUC union locals represented by the Campus Labor Coalition also publicly support the GEO and the GEO’s strike authorization.

As with any labor negotiation, however, the most effective pressure has been the threat of a strike. Only after GEO members at a General Membership Meeting voted unanimously to file an “intent to strike” notice did the University administration offer their first compromise proposals.  Accordingly, the Coordinating Committee and Steward’s Council of the GEO voted unanimously to hold a strike authorization vote from November 4-6. By voting to authorize a strike, GEO members have taken a vital step in holding the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign administration accountable to its stated commitment to excellence in research and undergraduate education.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Peter Campbell, GEO Communications Officer, odell.campbell@gmail.com, 253-222-5861, or the GEO office at geo@uigeo.org, 217-344-8283, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL, 61820.  Information about the GEO can also be found on our website at www.uigeo.org.

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