November 15, 2009, 2:04 pm
UIUC GRADUATE EMPLOYEES’ ORGANIZATION TO STRIKE OVER TUITION WAIVER SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSALS ON ALL OTHER ISSUES, INCLUDING WAGES, DEEMED ACCEPTABLE
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (November 15): The strike committee 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), has authorized a strike against the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to begin at 8am on Monday morning. After six hours of negotiation on Saturday afternoon, the GEO and administration bargaining teams managed to reach mutually agreeable terms on all aspects of the GEO contract except tuition waiver security. The administration’s refusal to guarantee the continuation of its current tuition waiver practice not only means that the majority of graduate employees could be forced to pay thousands of dollars in additional tuition charges, but also indicates its plans to implement such a change.
Read more at the GEO website…
November 11, 2009, 10:24 am
Over the last few weeks you should have received three postcards from the local. There is a local exec. board meeting this weekend and I would like to share your responses with the local leadership and the members from the other UPI campuses. If you have time, send me an email about the postcards…
Update
The negotiating team has been meeting weekly to put the last touches on our proposal. We are in the process of reviewing and editing the language so it reflects what we have learned from our members over the last two years. The team will meet our chapter exec. board next week to review our next steps. We are trying to schedule a meeting next week with the UPI local 4100 President and our lead negotiator. Earlier this week, I met with two members of the administrative team to discuss contacting the Federal Mediation Service so that we can have a mediator assigned to our campus and set up a negotiating schedule. My hope is that our first meeting with the federal mediator will take place before our December break.
November 10, 2009, 9:38 am
The Inside Higher Ed publication identified a new web site designed for students who are veterans..it may be something you wish to pass on to your students and advisees.
New Web Site for Veterans
The American Council on Education has launched a new Web site, Today’s GI Bill, to help veterans learn about the new education benefits available to them, the college selection process, and how to succeed in higher education. The site — debuting just before Veterans Day — was created with support from the Lumina Foundation for Education.
November 10, 2009, 9:34 am
The AAUP is launching an initiative today to protect faculty voice on campus. The organization is urging the higher education community to protect academic freedom. Please be advised that our administration has agreed to an article (and language) on Academic Freedom (its rights and responsibilities) that will be included as part of our collective bargaining agreement. A newsletter excerpt is below.
Speak Up! Speak Out!
Protect the Faculty Voice
The right of faculty members at public colleges and universities to speak freely without fear of retribution is endangered as never before.
In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government can restrict the speech of public employees when they comment on issues related to their “official duties.” Although the decision specifically set aside academic speech, recognizing that additional constitutional interests were at stake, several lower courts have ruled recently that faculty members who speak out on matters affecting their institutions are not protected under the First Amendment.
Read more about Speak Up, Speak Out at the AAUP website…
