Northeastern Illinois University Chapter of University Professionals of Illinois
Archive for November 2009
If you would like some interesting reading about the salaries of full time faculty and civil service employees at Illinois Colleges and Universities, you should read item 3a of the IBHE December meeting information report [PDF].
It is one of the agenda items for the December IBHE meeting to be held at the University of Chicago.
TEACHING AND GRADUATE ASSISTANTS AT UIUC RETURNING TO WORK PENDING CONTRACT RATIFICATION VOTE
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 17): On Tuesday, November 17, at 7:00 pm, the Strike Committee of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), officially and unanimously voted to suspend the two day strike that brought major portions of the University campus to a standstill. During a General Membership Meeting which began at 5:30 pm, the GEO bargaining team facilitated a discussion of the tentative agreements that it had signed during this morning’s negotiation session with the administration bargaining team. Afterwards, in a simple up or down vote, the 450 members present unanimously recommended to the strike committee that it accept the agreement and suspend the strike. The strike committee met immediately afterwards and took its decision.
With the strike suspended, GEO members are back at work, effective immediately. Teaching assistants will conduct their class sections tomorrow, and graduate assistants will carry out their duties at facilities across campus, including libraries, health and recreation centers, theaters, and specialized academic units.
Just wanted to share comments sent to our UPI listserv about the grad student strike at UIUC.
“I think it is great that the GEO is able to take this step. As we know, a strike is never pleasant, but these
workers were given no other option by the administration.”
“This is very courageous and illustrates what the mission of teaching is all about!”
For those of you who want to send messages of support to the UIUC grad students, you can send emails to: geo@uigeo.org
You can monitor the strike developments at the GEO website: http://www.uigeo.org/
Let’s hope that these students and future leaders in our higher ed community don’t have to stay on the line too long. A strike has serious consequences for all members of the higher education community…and as we know first hand, may take a long time to overcome.
in solidarity….
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 17): On Tuesday, November 17, at 8 am, the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), will continue its strike against the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All buildings previously picketed by the GEO will continue to be designated as “struck” buildings.
During an October UPI meeting of the local executive board, we learned that the federal standards (OSHA) had been added to the Illinois health and safety standards. This weekend, we received a release from the IFT describing how the addition of the OSHA standards affect our working conditions as employees in public education. Excerpts from the IFT release appear below:
On September 1, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that Illinois is the newest state to receive approval to administer an occupational safety and health plan for public employees.
That means that as NEIU employees we have gained a federally certified entitlement to a safe and healthy school or workplace. The plan will be administered by the Illinois Department of Labor, Safety Inspection and Education Division and covers all state government workers, municipal workers and employees in the public education section. Illinois and NEIU have provided protection to its employees for years but now will meet the additional requirements of the federal OSHA program.
The state will adopt and enforce standards identical to federal OSHA standards and has committed to bringing all of its standards in line with OSHA requirements.
Public employers and school districts are required to comply with standards. A few examples of standards include:
- Upon request, employers are required to give employees and their union representatives copies of their medical records and any monitoring conducted in the work place (such as mold, indoor air quality tests)
- Hazard communication or the “right to know” the chemical content and health effects of exposure of any hazardous product used in the workplace (paint, solvents, cleaners, etc).
- Asbestos exposure
- Employer must keep records or logs of injuries and illnesses. Employees and representatives are entitled to copies of these records. An annual summary of injuries and illnesses must be posted in a place where all employees can see it.
The UPI local has a Health and Safety Committee that is chaired by Sheila Simons of Eastern Illinois University. Sheila is a Professor of Health Sciences at EIU and makes regular reports to the UPI executive board.
