Hi fellow workers,
Welcome back to campus! We hope that you all have had a smooth start to the semester. This newsletter includes important information regarding our first general membership meeting, bargaining sessions, and more so please read on!
FIRST SPRING GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: 2/13, 5-7pm in LGRC A112
Our first general membership meeting will be on February 13th from 5-7pm in LGRC A112. Please join us to discuss important union business including bargaining updates, stewards’ retreat reportbacks, and more.
If you have any items you would like to add to the agenda, please submit them to this Google Form. We will stop collecting responses by February 12 at 2pm.
We will be providing food at the meeting – We hope to see you all there.
GEO’S NEXT BARGAINING SESSION: 2/9, 10am-12pm in LGRT 1033
Our next bargaining session will be on February 9th from 10am-12pm in LGRT 1033. Your presence at these sessions is crucial as we negotiate for better wages and enhanced workplace protections. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard and shape our collective future!
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CAUCUS CO-CHAIR ELECTION
The International Student caucus will be hosting a new election for caucus co-chairs. If you are interested in getting involved in the caucus for the upcoming semester, please email geo!
SPRING PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAUCUS MEETING TIMES
The Palestine Solidarity Caucus will now meet 5pm weekly on Mondays starting February 5th. The caucus will have hybrid meetings in New Africa House 402 and on Zoom.
If you have any questions about getting involved in the caucus, please email geo.palestine.solidarity!
UPDATE ON GEO’S PETITION: UMASS AMHERST GRAD STUDENTS DEMAND A LIVING WAGE
GEO’s petition to demand a living wage increase has received over 900 signatures! We are thankful for the overwhelming support from our membership, our union siblings, and community members. This petition serves as a strong reminder to the administration that graduate workers deserve better working conditions and a living wage to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Please continue to support and share this petition!
PRO BARGAINING SESSION: 2/13, 9am in CAMPUS CENTER 804
PRO, the union representing postdoctoral students at UMass Amherst, will have their next bargaining session on February 13th at 9am in Campus Center 804. Members of PRO have asked for GEO members to come to their sessions in solidarity with their bargaining demands.
PRO has consistently shown up for GEO and we should continue to show up for them as union siblings!
UAW LOCAL 2322 MEMBERSHIP MEETING: 2/6, 6pm-8pm on Zoom
On February 6th from 6-8pm, UAW Local 2322 will be having its annual membership meeting through Zoom. This meeting is our local’s highest decision making body and a great opportunity to hear about what workers are doing throughout our union. Click here for details and to RSVP.
GET INVOLVED: OUR ACTIVE CAUCUSES & COMMITTEES
ABOLITION COMMITTEE
The Abolition Committee stands in solidarity with calls for abolition from the UMass Amherst undergraduate student body, Western Mass, community organizations, and students and workers at colleges and universities across the higher education landscape. Abolition is a multi-faceted political endeavor rooted in Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty, and there are many precedents for labor union coalition with abolitionist movements, including our local UAW 2322. As members of a union with a long history of activism and organizing, the Abolition Committee will offer leadership in this work, beginning with an educational campaign about abolition intended for membership.
For more information, contact Shane Henckel (shane)
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Organizing committee meets every Monday from 4-5:30pm in Campus Center 915 and over Zoom. Want to get more involved? Follow us on slack to get the link or email geo
BARGAINING COMMITTEE
The Bargaining Committee has been meeting on Mondays from 1:30-3:30 at Campus Center 917 (with a new meeting time to be announced for the upcoming semester!). Meetings are open to all members as we discuss proposals and action items regarding the bargaining process. Please make sure to come in order to participate in bargaining and provide your inputs. bargaining
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM
The Contract Action Team (otherwise known as CAT😼) are a team of organizers who go to various buildings and departments on campus to build up relationships, spread awareness about our bargaining progress, and mobilize our coworkers to take action with us for the contract we deserve!
Becoming a CAT member is a low-stakes effort to get involved in the union! If you can dedicate 1-2 hours per week to talking with graduate student workers about GEO, contact Anna at abonomo OR come to CAT meetings (time TBD)
DISABILITY CAUCUS
The Disability & Accessibility Caucus is a space for disabled graduate students and their allies within GEO. We gather to provide community and advocate for ourselves and others with any kind of disability (mental, physical, short-term, chronic, etc). Our volunteer work focuses on drafting better protections in our contract and supporting accessibility efforts around the campus. We meet semi-regularly over zoom; for more information, join our Slack Channel #disability_accommodations or contact shane
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CAUCUS
The international student caucus is a space for international students within GEO. Whether you are familiar with the concept of labor organizing and unions or not, you are welcome; we believe that our union is not a space for those already “in the know,” but for all our members. The caucus has a simple structure, mainly two co-chairs which are elected on an annual basis; all other roles are on a volunteer basis. In the past, we organized events where international graduate students shared food, experiences, and frustrations about life and work. We regularly invite folks from GEO’s leadership for meetings focused on issues specific to international workers (Visa, labor laws, health benefits) and make sure we have members who can raise these issues in official settings (for example, bargaining meetings).
For more information, please follow them on Instagram at geo_international_caucus!
PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAUCUS
The Palestine Solidarity Caucus provides a space for sustainable discussion, education, and collective action regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. The caucus recognizes the relationship between organized labor and international humanitarian causes, including the occupation of Palestine. We seek to reaffirm GEO’s 2003 resolution for divestment from the Israeli occupation and 2016 endorsement of BDS. More widely, we call on the University of Massachusetts, UAW International, and UAW Local 2322 to divest from the Israeli occupation, call on the government to end military aid to Israel, and to donate to Palestinian relief efforts. We provide spaces for political education and healthy conversations as we work toward liberation and peace.
For more information, contact geo.palestine.solidarity and follow them on Instagram at geo_palestine_solidarity!
PEOPLE OF COLOR (POC) CAUCUS
The People of Color Caucus in GEO functions as a space for workers of color. Our aim is to address concerns of racism in the workplace and we remain steadfast in our commitment to abolish the imperialist, neo-colonial state.
If you have any further inquiries, please contact sbano
GEO WRITTEN TESTIMONIALS
If you’re uncomfortable sitting behind a camera and recording a video testimonial for why you joined GEO, no worries! We have an alternative option for folks who want to participate.
In the provided google form, please fill in whichever question you want to answer about why YOU joined the union and the various ways you have been involved. We’d love to hear from you so please share your thoughts!
You can sign up here.
