8/7 RAPMU NEEDS OUR SOLIDARITY TODAY – PLS READ FOR HOW

Dear GEO Members,
As you probably are aware, the Chancellor announced a new reopening plan yesterday that drastically reduces the number of students living/studying on campus this academic year. While this is a relief in some ways, the decision comes months after unions have been struggling to be heard when it comes to safety and job security, and now that the far safer decision is being made in terms of student #s, the tandem piece on job security is being sidelined and endangering the lives of our fellow union members in RAPMU. We have yet to know how this decision will impact GEO, but for today, the word is that UMass is only retaining 50 of the 500 RAPMU workers, and does not intend to honor the layoff language in their contract to pay 450 live-in workers for the coming semester. Their move-in date was this coming Monday.

RAPMU has a meeting with management today at 1pm to discuss the impact of the Chancellor’s decision. If you can join, please do in order to demonstrate GEO’s solidarity with RAPMU and send a message to management that we are watching: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96124740500?pwd=S29WWFU3N0ppWHllb044b0M0OWJodz09

Here is a message from RAPMU leadership and a petition for you to sign: UMass plans to fire the vast majority of RAs and PMs and give them no compensation. Article 22 of our contract states all laid off RAs and PMs should receive their full wages even if they are laid off, but UMass is cowardly claiming a loophole to avoid this. Sign this petition to demand UMass honor our contract!PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO HONOR THE RAPMU LAYOFF LANGUAGE!

8/4 GEO Newsletter: Recap, Reflect, Rest and Revitalize!

*Last week’s Work To Rule membership meeting*
On Wednesday, July 29, GEO’s work-to-rule committee hosted a very special membership meeting designed to kick off our work-to-rule action for the coming academic year. Over 60 GEO members attended the meeting. They heard presentations from the committee addressed the bleak situation we find ourselves in, as well as GEO’s demands for our next contract, which include pay raises, guaranteed job security, robust on-the-job protections for graduate workers, hazard pay for those of us who cannot work remotely, two weeks’ additional pay for prep work, the defunding of UMPD, and the continuation of current health benefits. Members heard about management’s bad faith at the bargaining table over the last several months, and learned how work-to-rule can help us win at the bargaining table and stand in solidarity with other workers on campus, like our siblings in RAPMU (Resident Assistant and Peer Mentor Union) and MSP (Massachusetts Society of Professors). In the midst of interlocking economic and public health crises–a great depression, a global pandemic, an overdue reckoning with systemic racism–in this context, we work to rule to show UMass management that UMass only works because we do. Members also participated in breakout groups where they heard from fellow grad workers about different concerns in different departments. 

*The Latest Bargaining Session*
This past Thursday (7/30), the GEO bargaining team and rank-and-file members came to the bargaining table to hear responses from the admin about our proposals regarding the Campus reopening plan. Unfortunately, we were not pleasantly surprised by admin’s counter proposals. They elected to reject all of our proposals except for two: PPE and expanded FMLA (more on this below). 
Because the admin team only sent their proposals at the beginning of the session, we had them walk us through their counter proposals briefly. After this, GEO members went into a caucus for about an hour, where we answered questions and discussed the response of the admin team. The overall feeling from members was that of anger and disappointment.  
After caucus, we spent the last 30 minutes back at the table where the bargaining committee and members asked some follow up questions. After yet another frustrating session, we are working on formulating a response to the administrative bargaining team.

*The University’s Counter Proposals* Again, so far the Union has passed two sets of proposals on July 2 [link] and July 15 [link].
Administration rejected all proposals except for three, responding to the PPE proposal, FMLA proposal, and academic calendar proposals. The University proposed:

1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and face-coverings: The University will provide appropriate PPE, face-coverings, and safety equipment as necessary for onsite bargaining unit members and shall train employees in the use of such equipment as well as safety and health protocols. The University shall provide spare masks for Residential Life employees to give to residents who lose or forget their masks. 

2. Fall 2020 holidays and the Revised Academic Calendar: Due to the University’s decision to revise the academic calendar, bargaining unit members who are required to work on a University holiday pursuant to Article 39 (Additional Time Off) shall take compensatory time off after the December 14, 2020 grading deadline. Bargaining unit employees who have both summer and fall appointments shall not experience a loss of income from either appointment as a result of calendar change.

3. Expanded Family and Medical Leave: Article 45, Section I.B. shall be temporarily suspended for the Fall 2020 semester and bargaining unit members shall be eligible for leave without having to be employed for at least four (4) consecutive months prior to the start of the leave. 
Article 45, Section I.D. shall be temporarily expanded for the Fall 2020 semester to include employees who test positive for COVID-19 or employees who take care of an individual as defined in Article 45.I.C.3 who tests positive for COVID-19 and cannot be assigned remote work or other accommodations. 
For the Fall 2020 semester, Article 45.I.C shall temporarily cover circumstances in which the employee is unable to work onsite or remotely as follows: 
1. Two weeks (up to 40 hours), prorated on the basis of percentage of appointment of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider), and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or 
2. Two weeks (up to 40 hours, prorated on the basis of the percentage of appointment) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider), or to care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19, and/or the employee is experiencing a substantially similar condition as specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor; and 
3. Up to an additional 4 weeks (up to 80 hours, prorated on the basis of the percentage of appointment) of paid expanded family and medical leave at two- thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay where an employee, who has been employed for at least 30 calendar days, is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19. 
Any paid leave granted under this provision shall run concurrent with (and not in addition to) the paid leave outlined in Article 45.I.E. 
The graduate student employee must submit a medical certification or other documentation justifying the need for any leave under this provision. Bargaining unit members may be required to submit the Flexible Working Arrangement Request Form in order to expedite the leave or other accommodation. Leave shall not be available for quarantine or isolation as a result of personal travel to or from an area that is not designated low-risk for COVID-19 as determined by the Department of Public Health of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
4. This agreement shall constitute full agreement by the parties and shall only be modified by subsequent agreement in writing. 

*This Week* This week, the GEO office is closed as the staff and bargaining committee members take a much needed break. It feels challenging to take a break when so much is happening. But we know that we cannot do our jobs effectively while running on empty! Rest assured that your union staff will be back strong on Monday, August 10th to prepare for the semester. In the meantime, both the Work to Rule Committee and Health & Safety Committee are reachable for questions or support related to those committees. 
All other GEO Caucuses and Committees are good places to channel questions, issues, or energy this week. If you have questions or want to get more involved with organizing around Work to Rule, contact nefeli@geouaw.org and david@geouaw.org. If you have questions for the GEO Health and Safety Committee or want to get more involved with that committee, please contact ej@geouaw.org, and brendan@geouaw.org. As usual, please refer to the GEO website if you more run of the mill questions about benefits, the GEO contract, or bargaining updates as many questions are answered there.

Unions Proposals passed on 7/2/2020 and 7/16/2020, respectively:

7/28 GEO NEWSLETTER: W2R Updates, Impact Barg and many more

Recap from last week:
✭Bargaining Updates✭
While we didn’t meet with management to bargain last week, the Bargaining Committee focused on planning and organizing around Work to Rule and Coalition work with other Unions in order to strengthen our positions at the bargaining table and engage more workers across campus faced with similar fights.
At last week’s Stewards Assembly, the Work to Rule Committee Co-chairs and members of the Committee facilitated a Work to Rule training and Stewards discussed the state of Impact bargaining.
Members of the Bargaining Committee, along with a few rank and file members who work in Residential Life, attended a labor relations meeting on Wednesday. We mostly asked questions around Res Life worker-safety and around international graduate student workers. Many of the answers we received reiterated what we have already heard at the bargaining table, and many questions remain unanswered. It seems apparent that there are conflicting or unfinished plans which the Chancellor’s reopening plan has yet to address or which COVID resurgences in other parts of the country are generating doubt around. There have been daily UMass Union meetings with management that GEO joined throughout March and April, but which we were unable to continue attending on a daily basis and which often did not address or speak to issues pertaining to our members. However, we now aim to increase our efforts to have a GEO representative (staff OR a rank and file member) in as many of these daily meetings as possible. 

✭Stewards Assembly✭
We had a robust Stewards Assembly last week. The Work to Rule committee took the lead with some important materials (survey, FAQ sheet, hours-tracking sheet, slides, email template and so on) to share. Thanks to the input from the Stewards, the W2R committee had a chance to collect some insightful feedback and prepare for the upcoming special membership meeting. 
Please bring any questions you have to the meeting. If you haven’t already, please fill out the work-to-rule survey. 
Want to learn more about Work to Rule? Visit geouaw.org/geo-works-to-rule/. And follow us our instagram account: geo_uaw2322

✭Town of Amherst Rental Assistance Grant Application✭ (Deadline for applying is 8/6)
The Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Funds’ COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Grant Program, administered by Community Action Pioneer Valley, will provide short term emergency rental assistance for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing up to 3 months of assistance to eligible Amherst renters.
Community Action has confirmed that families who are/were residing in UMass North Village apartments are eligible to apply for this assistance regardless of whether you have relocated off campus or remain in your NV apartment so long as you reside in Amherst – international students residing in Amherst are also eligible. The program may be able to cover ½ of your rent for up to 3 months – either bills that you owe for housing backdated to April or upcoming bills – so long as you can document that you lost income due to COVID and meet the other eligibility criteria. The application is the first step – once you complete the application, their staff will reach out to provide additional details.

Get Involved and Take Action:
✭Impact Bargaining✭
Want to hear what UMass Management has to say?
So far we have passed two proposals on July 2 [link] and July 15 [link], yet Admin has not given us any response. They said they are planning on responding to our proposals this Thursday! Please join us at the bargaining table at 3. [Zoom Link]

✭GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING✭ TOMORROW! Please come join us from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. EST, for a very special membership meeting, chaired by our Work to Rule Committee, to kick off our WORK-TO-RULE action for the coming academic year. [Zoom link]

✭Solidarity with RAPMU✭
RAPMU is the union for Resident Assistants and Peer Mentors. They live in the residence halls of UMass and are part-time, undergrad student/staff members. While anticipating around 7,000 students coming to campus, UMass Admin turned down RAPMU’s demands for free COVID testing, option to work remotely, clearer protocols for operations, hazard pay and job security (read more: Boston Globe/ Daily Hampshire Gazette). In response to the University’s callous refusals, 95% of RAPMU members voted not to come back to work until their demands have been met. In doing so, RAPMU have demonstrated their impressive sense of unity, collective power, and willingness to take direct action to win fair and reasonable working conditions for Res Life employees. We are blown away by our fellow UAW 2322 workers, and join in solidarity with their important work to win a safer and healthier re-opening plan for all of us. 
To show your solidarity as a GEO member, please sign and share the petition [link] to any UMass Community members. 

✭First meeting for Abolishing UMPD Working Group✭ Our grievance coordinator, Anna Klebanowska, is hosting the first meeting for this working group. If you are interested in participating, please feel free to join at 2 on this Thursday [Zoom Link]. 

In Solidarity, Dora and Jyoti, GEO Co-Chairs

7/21/2020 Impact Bargaining, New Proposals

Last Thursday (7/16), the GEO bargaining committee returned to the table for the second session of impact bargaining over UMass’ reopening proposal. Ahead of the meeting, GEO passed a second set of proposals, adding to the set that was passed two weeks ago.

We passed proposals on: 

• Expanded FMLA events (to include 2 weeks self-quarantine, paid time to take care of children, paid time to take care for someone else subject to quarantine)
• No-cost housing for ResLife GEO members
• Release from requirement to sign UMass Community Agreement as a condition of work
• Employer-covered PPE
• Free COVID Testing for GEO members
• Summer pay Adjustments for international grad Workers w/Visa restrictions and overlapping on campus summer work
• ResLife office space/emergency door access/common space closure
• Campus safety from UMPD and ICE
• PLUS a financial stability proposal for UMass to create its own currency (courtesy of our fellow UAW Union, RAPMU)

Highlights from the Bargaining table: 
The bargaining team started with a walk through of the proposals. Sam, lead negotiator this session, covered essential safety protections and benefits for workers on campus. Ian walked the admin through the proposal for UMass to issue credit to/borrow from the Federal Reserve, taking advantage of their municipal bond buying program. This is another example of how UMass admin could avoid austerity. The admin team had only a few questions, and then asked to go into caucus. 

When asked about Covid testing, Admin stated that they believe it is unlikely that they can guarantee all people on UMass campus will have tested negative to COVID-19. However, ResLife employees were still being asked to sign the UMass agreement which waived the liability of the University. Indicating from ResLife GEO worker, Tita, ResLife employees are not only working with fewer employees and in a high-risk situation, but they are losing much of their normal paid training time because the semester is starting early.

Regarding GEO’s proposal about international graduate worker pay, which aims to protect international workers from losing income when transitioning from summer to fall semesters early (visa restrictions allow more hours to be worked in the summer semester than in the fall), Admin discussed international workers getting adjustments to their hourly rate to remedy the problem. Anna-Claire, grad student and our union rep, expressed concern about larger paychecks making it look like international grads had worked more hours than they had (as has been an issue in the past). Admin agreed that this was a concern and noted that they are “sensitive” to the issue.

The administrative bargaining team has not yet officially responded to ANY of GEO’s proposals [link for first proposal / second proposal] regarding the reopening. While GEO members see the lives at risk in the reopening plan and the time sensitive nature of our demands, admin seems to have their priorities elsewhere.

7/14/2020 Impact Bargaining Proposals, Questions regarding Campus Reopening Plan

Here is what we presented to the Admin on July 2 [link]. Please join us this Thursday to hear what they have to say about these proposals. 
Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/237329078

What questions do you have regarding the campus reopening plan?
Many of you have been actively involved in bargaining over the past few months- coming to the bargaining table, working on the Health and Safety and / or Work to Rule committee, following updates via Slack and email, and communicating with fellow GEO members. 
We want to make sure that questions you may have for the administrative bargaining team get answered. We are compiling a continual list of questions from members that we ask the admin team. We will inform members as we hopefully get some of them answered. Please keep the questions coming! To add to this list of questions email the GEO bargaining committee at bargaining@geouaw.org or using this working doc to compile questions. 

7/6/2020 Fall Impact Bargaining Proposals [link] and Recap:

On Thursday (7/3), GEO members met UMass management at the table for the first session of impact bargaining over the new working conditions outlined in the Chancellor’s plan for the Fall 2020 semester. GEO brought quite a few proposals to the table regarding appointments, safety, and pay during the Fall 2020 semester. Many of our members spoke powerfully and articulately about their experiences working as TAs, TOs, RAs, and ARDs about their concerns to administrators. We are proud of our fellow grad student workers for showing up and speaking up to try to make working conditions better for all of us. 
GEO proposed that no graduate students should be forced to work on campus if they feel unsafe doing so and that this should be an individual choice. This would mean allowing for reappointments to remote work for any grad employee who requested it. The university negotiators insisted that UMass would only allow for accommodations in individual situations where specific, extenuating circumstances existed. This is not acceptable. Workers need autonomy and privacy in the decision to risk exposure to COVID-19. 
Not only did management demonstrate initial resistance to our proposal for individual autonomy in terms of face-to-face on campus work, but their lead negotiator seemed to think that this was a way for our members to reject work and collect pay. Speaking plainly, the implication that graduate workers do not want to work at all is ludicrous, given that UMass Amherst depends heavily on a tremendous amount of free grad labor already in the form of research and service work. Overwork is a persistent issue for GEO members, and the contribution of our free labor during the best of times earns us the right to be recognized as the ambitious and committed research and teaching community members that we are. The campus-wide plan itself recognizes the need for individuals to behave cautiously, requiring everyone to sign the “UMass Agreement”, and we are simply proposing the option of being able to create even safer conditions for everyone. 
Further, TAs and TOs are currently doing unpaid prep work for Fall courses, and GEO proposes our members should be paid for the work they are doing prior to and after the proposed end of the 2020 Fall semester, in order to prevent future workload grievances, and to prevent a break in pay over the winter. 
UMass management seemed agreeable to the proposal that if the University requires the use of PPE that they should provide it without cost to graduate workers, although no guarantees were made at the bargaining table. Our members still have questions about what kinds of PPE will be required, and thus provided, as many other public-facing workers, such as grocery workers, have plexiglass dividers and other necessary protections that may not be possible to implement in a classroom or lab setting.
Management did not respond to any of our other proposals at the table. Although the Admin representatives seemed to dodge concerns about public health and worker safety, the GEO Bargaining Committee is working with the Health & Safety Committee and rank and file member volunteers to draft more proposals to protect our members. The proposals brought to the table on Friday were just the start of what GEO members will be fighting for during this round of impact bargaining. As always, active member participation is critical to success at the table. 
If you have any ideas, questions, comments or would like to contribute as a volunteer member, please email GEO’s bargaining committee at bargainingcommittee@geouaw.org to get in touch. 

6/29/2020: Fall reopening, Impact Bargaining this Thu 3-5pm

A lot has happened since the membership meeting on Thursday (recap of meeting below), most importantly the final plan for Fall reopening has finally been shared by the Chancellor (today’s email entitled “Message from the Chancellor: Fall 2020 Reopening Plan”. Teaching will be online for the most part, which is a  relief to TAs/TOs. In terms of impact on our working conditions, some of the specifically impacted groups are internationals and graduate workers in Res Life. We will work to ensure the safety of ARDs who will need to be on campus and to provide job security for those who the university may lay off. According to our data, there are around 90 grad workers in Residential Academic Programs or in Residential Life – please email geo@umass.edu to share your inputs if you work in this area.

There are also certain impacts that are more general and will affect many members. Some issues already identified by the Bargaining Committee and Health & Safety Committee. Props to the many rank and file members involved in this work. Again, please email us your inputs asap.

• Actual implementation of online teaching: please inform geo@umass.edu immediately if you have an appointment that can work online but are not being allowed to, or are being asked to give medical or other justification for working remotely
• Sufficient access to personal protective equipment provided by the university
• Normal payment as per contract for those who are abroad, or elsewhere within the US
• Option to defer appointment
• Not reducing standard length of semester contracts (19 weeks) for Fall 2020
• Impact of shortened summer on grad workers currently on summer practicum/co-op  
• If certain in-person classes require an increased number of discussion sections to maintain social distancing, there must be a corresponding increase in contracted hours of employment, either as more assistantships, or assistantships with more hrs/wk.
• Compensation for holidays lost
• Hazard pay for on-campus work
• Safety for Res Life employees
• Childcare plan for parents including what happens to a hard-to-get CEEC spot if parents do not want to send their children to childcare in a pandemic 
• Plan in place in the event that a grad worker gets COVID

Due to these impacts, we are entering Impact Bargaining once more, to negotiate over the unilateral changes imposed by our employer, coming up this week. Please join the session on THIS THURSDAY July 2nd, 3-5pm. Zoom link here.