Fellow workers,

See below for candidate statements in connection with the upcoming GEO elections. The election will run electronically beginning May 8, and conclude at a special GMM on May 16. Please let us know if you have any questions by reaching out to elections.

in solidarity,
The GEO Elections Committee

___

Terrell James (Co-Chair)

Greetings my fellow graduate workers,

I am Terrell James, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Anthropology department. I am running for co-chair, alongside Isuru Herath (co-chair), Hannah Ku (Membership Coordinator), Madison Albano (membership organizer), Salman Sikander (mobilization coordinator), because I believe that if we organize, we can transform UMass, our society, and our everyday lives.

I first got involved with GEO three and a half years ago when I started organizing with the Abolition Committee. Like many other Black graduate workers on campus, I had experienced anti-black racism at UMass on interpersonal, cultural, and institutional levels. I also heard stories from many Black, Latinx, international, and disabled/neurodivergent graduate workers about horrible encounters with UMPD. At the time, I felt a call to organize against this violence. The Abolition Committee’s commitment to Black liberation and indigenous sovereignty were/are principles that guide my organizing, so I joined to support our union’s demands related to abolition. As time went by, I found that the best way to support abolitionist demands at UMass was to get more involved in other union organizing, especially after listening to other graduate students share about the atrocious working and living conditions many of us experience here at UMass.

My organizing with GEO now includes efforts to address the challenges that you, my fellow workers, have struggled against. In the last two years, I have participated in many different organizing projects and campaigns. I am currently one of the district leads for the Contract Action Team and a rank-and-file organizer with the Palestinian Solidarity Caucus. I am also working with other organizers from the People of Color Caucus to develop ways to support and protect members from different forms of interpersonal violence in GEO spaces.

Our current contract campaign is very important to me. I am from a working-class Black family in Springfield, and I have had to work multiple jobs just to afford to live in Western Massachusetts. Having multiple jobs has impacted my ability to publish and work on my research. I know this is true for many of you. I also know that some GEO members, like many international graduate workers, do not have opportunities to work other jobs.

I am sharing this because I want you to know my stakes in this fight. We all have stakes, and they are represented in our demands in this round of bargaining. As co-chair, I want to hear why you need this contract so we can build stronger relationships that will serve as the unshakable foundation for our organizing. This is what solidarity looks like. This is how we will win.

I have decided to run for co-chair to honor many organizers who have worked tirelessly to improve GEO and our daily lives. As co-chair, I aim to continue these efforts as we organize for a contract that meets all of the needs of our diverse membership.

All Power to All of the Workers,

Terrell

Isuru Herath (Co-Chair)

My name is Isuru Herath, a dedicated member of the GEO-UAW 2322 Bargaining Committee. I am running for the position of GEO Local 2322 Co-Chair, a role I believe I am uniquely qualified for. I am proud to be part of a team that includes: Terrell James (Co-Chair), Hannah Ku (Membership Organizer), Madison Albano (Membership Organizer), Salman Sikander (Mobilization Coordinator), Mark Murdy (Steering Committee), and Jordan Sanderson (Steering Committee).

Since the Fall of 2023, I have committed to maintaining GEO’s member-centric democratic spirit. GEO’s strength lies in its core philosophical foundations, which challenge the dominating culture of business unionism that has eroded the collective power of the American labor movement over the last century. As our political, economic, and environmental conditions deteriorate, workers must challenge the status quo of the American labor movement, which has played a pivotal role in ensuring that unions remain stagnant and negotiate only over wages, not improving the general welfare of working people. I advocate for an alternative form of unionism rooted in social movement principles—pursuing economic and political justice through building true working-class power and international solidarity.

With over a decade of experience in organizing and negotiations, I have had the privilege of applying these approaches to GEO. This strategic experience has led to a significant increase in member participation and engagement.I focus on bringing the complexity of organizational questions to the department level so that members are not only passive participants in the Union but active, informed, educated members who are making democratic decisions and building power at the most local level. Under this strategic vision, we have made substantial progress; we have increased the engagement of membership in the General Membership Meetings by hundreds, the most significant engagement of membership participation. We have developed and shaped campaign mobilizations that have engaged every member in all departments across the worksite.

I also represent the Union at the bargaining table. I have supported drafting key proposals that include wages, cost-of-living adjustment, and the housing stipend. It is essential to recognize that the current successes in the bargaining process have been made because of the labor that previous leadership has provided, most notably Co-Chair Ragini Jha, and former Bargaining Committee member Danielle Bradley, who provided the initial framework and development of the significant components of the proposals that have allowed us to negotiate with the most leverage, to continue the fighting legacy of our 30 years of history.

Although our organizational successes have been remarkable in the last several months, we still have structural issues to address. As Co-Chair, I am unwavering in my commitment to addressing the culture of oppression rooted in sexism and racism, and the erasure of labor that continues to take shape. I am dedicated to strengthening the union through recruitment and training of stewards, running effective issue campaigns outside of the bargaining process, and building a union which can challenge the dominant political forces that continue to erode our living conditions.

Hannah Ku (Membership Organizer)

My name is Hannah Ku and I am a master’s student in the history department. I am running as membership organizer alongside Isuru Herath, Terrell James, Madison Albano, Salman Sikander, Mark Murdy, and Jordan Sanderson.

Prior to coming to UMass, I worked at a food shop where I only made $13 an hour and relied on tips. While I believed that the initial contract I received would drastically change my living conditions, I became aware of how incorrect I was. I experienced the worst financial insecurity and realized the hardships that graduate workers face with the cost of living, the lack of affordable housing, and overall, the harassment we face within the workplace. After learning and living the reality of working for poverty wages, I knew I had to be more involved beyond paying dues.

During my time, I have served various positions for GEO. As a steward for the history department, I flagged possible grievances within the department and communicated about ongoing organizing efforts. Specifically, I was able to participate in a collective action alongside other first-year masters’ students to address funding transparency, which addressed the department’s re-appointment process. Additionally, I organized a building coffee hour with other stewards to establish communal bonds between graduate workers to talk about our workplace issues.

Beyond my department, I also aided organizing efforts through community forums, tabling, and walkthroughs pertaining to the housing crisis in the Pioneer Valley. Through these interactions, I further learned about the predatory landlords within the area and UMass’ primary role in setting the pricing standards for others in the area. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to learn about the issues that graduate workers residing at University Village face. In one particular action last spring, fellow GEO organizers and residents of the complex marched into the Whitmore and demanded no rental hikes.

Since becoming co-chair, I have actively organized around our contract campaign to address the financial and economic challenges facing graduate workers. One avenue was through revitalizing GEO’s media presence to make information about our bargaining process more accessible to all of our members. Furthermore, I am a District Lead for the Contract Action Team, which aims to create a network of graduate workers within each department to not only spread awareness about bargaining, but to also mobilize workers to act on a contract that betters the working and living conditions for EVERYONE.

In all of these roles, I have fought for a more democratic union that truly represents the interests of ALL of our members. Despite the adversity I have faced as an organizer of color, I believe in the power of GEO to change the working conditions for us. I am committed to building a militant rank-and-file where members feel emboldened to participate. I feel so inspired by my colleagues in our fight for a contract that can address our needs. I hope to continue this work with a slate I am proud to run alongside. Together we will win a historic contract.

In Solidarity,

Hannah Ku.

Madison Albano (Membership Organizer)

My name is Madison Albano and I am a master’s student in the History Department and I am running for the position of Membership Organizer. When I arrived at UMass in the Fall of 2023, I was outraged by the exorbitant cost of living in Western Massachusetts. I decided that I needed to get involved in GEO to help elevate the conditions of graduate workers and fight for our rights to a living wage.

I became one of the History Department Stewards in order to help protect fellow History graduate workers from overwork and discrimination.To connect with workers in other departments, I became a District Lead in the Contract Action Team in order to learn about the unique issues that graduate students face across departments and work to resolve them. I have led meetings in departments across campus, from Music to LLC, to encourage graduate students to talk openly about the issues of poverty, overwork, and discrimination. By holding open conversations about our collective issues, we can work together to develop solutions that we can take to the bargaining table.

Since becoming Interim Membership Organizer this spring, I have worked hard to make GEO a more inclusive space by leading trust workshops and helping more members connect with GEO organizing. I am committed to continuing and expanding this work in the upcoming semester. As a Membership Organizer, I believe my role is to develop networks of cross-departmental and community  solidarity. The work of a graduate student is often exhausting and alienating, but I have worked hard to develop events and socials that connect graduate students with one another.  I hope to further this work over the following academic year, and commit to planning various social events, political education sessions, and organizing 101 workshops in order to best support the graduate community.

Likewise, I have worked with union leaders on campus through the Multi Union Meeting (MUM) network to build cross-campus solidarity. Together, the unions across campus have developed a list of shared, key proposals to align all of our bargaining priorities because our fight for a living wage is shared with undergraduate workers, dining workers, faculty, and staff on campus.

Our members are what make our union strong, and as Membership Organizer, I will commit to ensuring high membership engagement. One way I will increase engagement is by hosting strong orientation sessions. I will make sure all new graduate students understand that if they want to win better living conditions for themselves and their fellow workers, GEO is their best option. Likewise, I will commit to strengthening the transformative justice education of all GEO organizers and work to make GEO spaces safe and inclusive for all by helping to create community guidelines that all GEO members can decide upon and agree to.

Overall, my role as the current  Membership Organizer has been the most fulfilling work of my life.  I hope to continue connecting with graduate students all across campus and fighting for our collective wellbeing as one of next year’s Membership Organizers. Solidarity forever!

Char Nim (Membership Organizer)

Hello Fellow GEO members,

My name is Char Nim and I am finishing up my first year as a Community Engaged Research Project (CERP) Masters’ student in the Anthropology department.

I am running for the Membership Organizer position with Ciara Little because I have hope for a GEO that includes spaces and structures that meet the needs of the membership. We see this as an opportunity to continue working collaboratively to build a stronger, more inclusive union, where our diverse membership feels heard, represented, and respected.

___In the past year volunteering with GEO as a Rank and File member, I’ve experienced and witnessed the challenges of disseminating information. Especially for an organization of this size, establishing transparent and effective communication structures is critical for building long-term trust and empowering membership at large.

___I also believe we can work towards building a culture of curiosity that sees our diversity in experiences and approaches as collective power. In part I believe this is largely connected to how spaces are facilitated for membership to participate in multiple ways. When I first joined, I remember feeling confused and so shitty just being in GEO spaces when this wasn’t a priority.

___Some initial questions I’d love to design and shape together:

How can we set up channels at various levels for “new”, returning, and recurring members to engage? How do we ensure we are testing structures reflexively and collaboratively before, during, and after various organizational or bargaining flows?

From my experience in educator-organizing spaces, I bring facilitation training and an orientation towards long-term sustainability and deep relationships. We face the challenge of membership turnover and institutional memory loss, but we are surrounded by workers and communities on and off campus who are directly impacted by similar struggles. Personally I think there is a gap in this regard. When we build towards a union that respects our differences and membership is seen, heard, and represented, I believe we can be better attuned to building collective power, shared knowledge, and solidarity beyond our own membership.

In this role I hope to work collaboratively around our membership’s emergent needs.

With Care,

Char Nim

Ciara Little (Membership Organizer)

Dear Fellow GEO Members,

My name is Ciara Little and I am a third-year PhD student in the Environmental Water Resources Engineering Program (EWRE) within the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department. I am running with Char Nim for the Membership Organizer position, because I believe in a GEO that has the spaces and structures within to meet the needs of membership. We see this as an opportunity to continue working collaboratively to build a stronger, more inclusive union, where our diverse membership feels heard, represented, and respected.

To that end I offer the following guiding questions:

1. How can we build and nurture a GEO culture rooted in curiosity and respect that sees our differences as another aspect of our collective power?

2. How can we improve transparency and communication? While this can be challenging, especially for an organization of this size, transparent, effective communication structures are critical to build trust and empower membership.

3. How can we reduce access barriers to union engagement and participation?

I feel my experience as both a community organizer and as an engineer can be uniquely beneficial in accomplishing these goals. Through my organizing work as a rank and file member I have spent much of my time engaging with STEM students, specifically engineers who often feel left out of many current structures. With this position I hope to be able to provide a larger platform for their voices and perspectives. Within my program, I also had the opportunity to hear from many graduate students who are also parents. They too often find it difficult to participate in union activities, even if for different reasons. In this role, I hope to continue fostering these relationships and get creative to solve these issues together. We, the members, are the union and we are strongest when we work together towards our collective goals!

With love and Solidarity,

Ciara Little

Salman Sikandar (Mobilization Coordinator)

In Hamlet, the famous play of Shakespear there is a scene in which the ghost of the dead king appears in a palace and the palace guard senses its presence. Here the palace guard says the iconic line “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” As we enter the crucial moment in our campaign for a better contract and we once again notice the apathy in the tone of administration while rejecting our proposals for basic living wage, food security and housing stipend I cannot help but think of that line from Hamlet.There is certainly something rotten at the very core of this university resulting in extreme poverty of grad workers.

I am running for the mobilization coordinator position along with Terrell James (Co-chair) , Hannah Ku (Membership Organizer) , Isuru Herath (Bargaining Committee) and Madison Albano (Membership Organizer). I believe that the problems all graduate students/workers face are the result of class contradiction between the management and graduate workers. However, this contradiction is not easy to fight against without building the organizational power of the union. For me the key to building that power is radical Democracy, Cross-departmental Solidarity and Equity within the union.

During my time as a co-chair of Stewards Assembly and a member of the steering committee of the Union I tried bringing different departments together through the stewards network. The cross departmental solidarity of grad workers not only highlights common issues that we all face but also empowers us to fight against them together. More than half of us in the whole Union are international workers, and workers of color yet we need to put in more effort to include them in the organizing spaces. Whereas hundreds of Domestic workers face problems like housing insecurity, food insecurity, lack of transportation and general apathy from university administration despite living in the US for their whole lives.The contradiction of class gets reciprocated by the racial aspect of neo liberal university resulting in international workers, workers of color and most of all international women workers living in even worse conditions.

This all shows clearly that we need a union which gives a chance to all graduate workers to speak about the issues they face. We need a union where solidarity is the basic principle of organizing, connecting people from all backgrounds and a union in which no one is alienated within the organizing spaces. If I am elected, I will make GEO more accessible and open for all of you to participate in the organizing process not just as passive members but through active participation in the decision making for BETTER WAGES, A BETTER LIFE AND A UNION FOR ALL!

Antonis Gounalakis (Mobilization Coordinator)

Hello fellow graduate student-workers,

My name is Antonis Gounalakis, and I am a Ph.D. student in Economics. I currently serve as the Mobilization Coordinator, and I have been involved with GEO since my first year (steward, Steering Committee). As an international student, I am aware of the complexities and difficulties related to immigration status that affect us both as students and as workers.

In my capacity as the Mobilization Coordinator I have contributed significantly to the increase in our membership ratio since 2022 (more than 8%). I have participated in and led dozens of departmental orientations signing up more new members than in any year since the Supreme Court’s anti-union Janus decision (2018). I have put systems in place to ensure that every membership form is processed correctly and quickly by the University, including more than 100 people from 2020 and 2021 that University had forgotten to process. I was responsible for transitioning all of GEO’s membership data to a new database named “Broadstripes” and creating a much more transparent and efficient information sharing with union leaders and organizers. I have also maintained an updated and accurate list of workers and members in every department, a crucial organizing tool that has enabled the Contract Action Team (CAT) and Stewards to reach out and communicate with graduate workers and members. As a result, GEO is now the strongest and most active it has ever been.

I believe that leadership must steer the union to align with the needs and wants of its members. Since GEO is a democratically-run, member-driven union, it is crucial to have transparency and accountability in any action (or inaction) that we take. GEO should always aim to increase its member base, while keeping members engaged in every step of the process.

We have been bargaining for almost a year now, and we need everyone’s participation in order to successfully negotiate a contract with higher wages, a housing stipend and everything else that we deserve. We are all impacted by the rising cost of living, the exorbitant rents, and the compounding effect of the annual fee increases. Funding is becoming harder to get and more conditional for existing graduate students. At the same time, the University and several of its departments (i.e. Computer Science, Education, Isenberg, Engineering Depts) are enriching themselves by admitting an ever-increasing volume of terminal master students, most of whom are international. They are treated like cash cows and their own departments actively deny them any graduate assistantships on campus in order to protect their tuition revenue.

The fight against structural inequities and financial precarity can only be successful through solidarity in action by the broadest coalition possible among the graduate student workers. We need to combat every aspect of racism, patriarchy, xenophobia, and discrimination wherever we encounter it. This will allow us to advance our collective interests and will bring us closer to a better and more equitable work, academic and living environment.

Solidarity,

Antonis Gounalakis

Mark Murdy (At-Large Steering Committee Member)

My name is Mark Murdy, and I am running for at-large member of the Steering Committee. Over the past three years, it has been my privilege to be a core organizer of GEO. As a physics steward, I am proud to have helped create a pro-union department culture that has resulted in physics becoming the most mobilized department on campus, with dozens of members engaging in organizing and in the bargaining process. None of this would be possible with my labor alone; rather, it is the deep commitment to community building with my peers that has created an environment of trust and solidarity.

I am proud to be co-running with the following candidates: Terrell James (Co-Chair), Isuru Herath (Co-Chair), Hannah Ku (Mobilization Coordinator), Madison Albano (Membership Organizer), Salman Sikander (Mobilization Coordinator), and Jordan Sanderson (Steering Committee). Each of these candidates are formative influences in my career as an organizer, and it is my highest aspiration to pay forward to others what they have done for me. Collectively, I believe we can achieve just that.

Through our collective effort, GEO has already transformed into a much more democratic and member-driven institution from what it was when I first joined in 2021. The lingering effects of the pandemic resulted in an graduate worker base that was exhausted and seemed to have little remaining capacity for workplace organizing. Bargaining sessions were drab affairs with little member turnout, general membership meetings struggled to meet quorum, and little seemed plausible in the way of direct-action organizing. From these circumstances, I would have never imagined it was possible for GEO to even approach the militancy that we have achieved today.

Through countless hours of phone-banking, event-planning, and one-on-one conversations with members across campus, I discovered that one thing is abundantly clear: members are aware of their worth, and ready to fight for dignity in the workplace. As a core member of our Contract Action Team, it has been my pleasure to mobilize STEM departments and work with members to harness this revolutionary force swelling in our midst. It is this underlying drive that has mobilized hundreds of GEO members to join us at the bargaining table, at general membership meetings, and in countless organizing roles.

We have come far, but our fight is far from over. More needs to be done to continue to democratize GEO and make our union a space for all members of our community to join the fight for their rights. Specifically, we must fight to destroy the racist and sexist culture that has historically erased the experiences and contributions of our members and weakens our collective power. With your support, I hope to continue our journey to fair wages, fair working conditions, and democratization of GEO as a member of the Steering Committee.

Lauren Whitley-Haney (At-Large Steering Committee Member)

As I wrap up my first year as a Master’s student in the History department, I have seen the impact and importance of collective action on campus. The Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant positions I’ve held this year have given me valuable insight into the many ways that grad students contribute to UMass’ ability to function.

As a student of social and labor history, I have studied the benefits of successful organizing and the costs of not organizing. I have seen the strength of our graduate student union and am willing to pose questions about how we can strengthen it even more. With many issues facing us as students, workers, and individuals, it is my goal to increase participation and unity in GEO by serving on the Steering Committee. I believe in the power of listening more than speaking, radical empathy, and intentional inclusion. With these actions, I believe that I can assist GEO in its effort to present a strong, united graduate student coalition that is ready and able to topple the issues of injustice and inequality that plague UMass Amherst. Thank you for taking the time to vote. No matter who you vote for, sharing your voice makes us stronger together.

Shady Lawendy (At-Large Steering Committee Member)

As I near the end of my second year in the economics department, my commitment to GEO has stayed strong since I started at UMass. I’ve actively participated in various committees, including the hiring, early bargaining, and organizing committees, while also taking on organizing roles. My decision to volunteer on the steering committee reflects personal as well as union-wide frustrations with the operations of the committee in the past. It’s time for a shift from the recent perception of the steering committee as a mere “pencil pusher” committee. This can no longer be the case. The steering committee ought to assume its oversight role over the operations of the staff and leadership to ensure accountability. I believe that the steering committee should serve as a platform where the voices of rank-and-file members and active organizers are heard, ensuring that the union remains inclusive and responsive to its diverse membership.

I believe that GEO operates through both its institutions and the active engagement of its rank-and-file members. To ensure that all members feel valued and encouraged to participate in shaping the union, it’s imperative to maintain a clear distinction and separation between these institutions and decision-making forums. Failing to do so risks the potential monopolization and capturing of decision-making processes and organizing spaces. Throughout my tenure on the steering committee, I am committed to upholding these principles, fostering a culture where all members feel empowered to contribute to their union’s growth and success.

—
In solidarity, GEO Leadership
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