Hi fellow workers,

Read on for this week’s GEO newsletter, which contains important information regarding our next bargaining session, the International Student Caucus, and other upcoming GEO events!

GEO’S NEXT BARGAINING SESSION: FRIDAY 3/1 10-1pm in LGRT 1033!

Our next bargaining session will be this Friday, March 1 from 10am-1pm in LGRT Room 1033! All GEO members in good standing are welcome, and the more grad workers who attend, the more we show admin that we are united in fighting for stronger protections, better working conditions, and the living wage that we deserve!

RALLY FOR HOUSING: 3/7, 2:30 pm, Haigis Mall

We will be having a rally on Thursday, March 7 outside of Haigis Mall at 2:30 pm in support of our bargaining demand for a $400 monthly housing stipend to offset the criminal cost of living in Amherst. It is SO important that we turn out a HUGE crowd to show admin that graduate students NEED a housing stipend to survive—and that the community stands with GEO in pushing for this. Bring your friends, signs, and enthusiasm! If you would like to speak at the rally or get more involved in event planning, email us or DM us on Instagram. Solidarity forever!

SPECIAL GMM/Stewards’ Assembly, 2/28 4:30-7pm

On Wednesday, 2/28, GEO will be holding a special, short membership meeting at 4:30 in Campus Center 804-808 in order to conclude our special election for an interim membership organizer and a new bargaining research and proposal coordinator. Once the election has concluded, the membership meeting will adjourn and we will transition directly into the first meeting of the Stewards’ Assembly for the spring semester! We will be discussing mobilization for bargaining, social events, and other things.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CAUCUS: FIRST MEETING OF THE SEMESTER

The international caucus will hold its first meeting of the semester this Friday at 4 pm. The meeting will be held in campus center 915 and over zoom. You can find the Zoom link here. Coffee and donuts will be provided. We will be holding elections to select new co-chairs. The elections will be held during the meeting. We would love to see you there!

Trivia Night

GEO will be holding a Trivia Night on March 4th at 7pm in New Africa House! This will be a fun event for members to get to know each other and get more involved with GEO, as well as to relax and socialize in a fun environment. All GEO members are welcome! There will be free wings (with vegan options)!

Palestine Solidarity Caucus – Event on Militarism at UMass

Save the Date – GEO’s Palestine Solidarity Caucus is hosting an event on March 14th at 5pm (location TBD) to discuss how research and education at UMass is connected to the military and companies that benefit from wars. We will discuss what divestment from war means, what it has looked like for other universities, and how it could look at UMass. We will also discuss what this means for graduate workers, especially those in STEM fields, and how we can work toward a transition away from funding tied to war without negatively impacting graduate workers’ opportunities. This event will be catered, with pie for dessert! Contact geo.palestine.solidarity to learn more or get involved.

SIGN UP TO BE A PART OF THE CONTRACT ACTION TEAM

GEO’s Contract Action Team (aka CAT) is a team of organizers working on building up our collective power! We are currently working to recruit at least one CAT member for every ten graduate workers in our bargaining unit.

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 on Wednesdays at noon in Campus Center 915. You can sign up to be a CAT member here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJQZPqM0VWR0krEOS6WOEIBUSA5HWzu4OOlr3ph_EYljEdtw/viewform

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)

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).

Contact the international student caucus at alanacaucus557!

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!

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.