Hi fellow workers,
GEO wishes you all a restful holiday break and a happy New Year to all! Please read on for a few important updates—including about our next bargaining session.
REMINDER: OFFICE CLOSURE FOR WINTER BREAK
The GEO office is closed from 12/20 and reopens on 1/8. If you need anything urgent, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via the GEO external email address (geo). This account will continue to be monitored throughout this period.
NEXT GEO BARGAINING SESSION: 1/08, 1-3pm in Campus Center 168C
On January 8th from 1-3pm in Campus Center 168C, we will be having our SEVENTH bargaining session. Attending bargaining sessions are a way for us to demonstrate our collective power to the administration and a way to demand the fair treatment, conditions, and wages WE deserve.
Questions or want to get involved? Contact us at bargaining
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM (CAT) PHONEBANKING
The Contract Action Team (CAT) are phone banking over break. Their goal is to call EVERY GEO member and they need your help!!
Sign up to make calls here. They’ll provide you with a list of at least 20 grad workers to call through and a script. Please fill out THIS FORM to contribute to their efforts!
PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAUCUS EVENT NOTICE: QUEERS FOR PALESTINE @ the Majestic Saloon January 6th, 7pm-9pm
The Palestine Solidarity Caucus wants to share an event that will be happening January 6th from 7-9pm. See below for details on the event!
See the original event details below:
🪩The Majestic Saloon🪩 @themajesticsaloon
Join us for an evening of entertainment and action for Palestine with performances by renowned queer Palestinian artists to raise funds for 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🇵🇸LGBTQIA+ Palestinians in crisis.
Poetry by Yaffa @yaffasutopia
Palestinian Trans Muslim Poet and Activist
Performance by Juliet Olivier @julietorchid
Queer Palestinian Performance Artist
Q&A Moderated by Hannah Moushabeck (Author and Activist) @hannahmoushabeck
Raffles! Queer jewlery sale by Wild Fancy Design @wildfancydesign!
$5 suggested donation. Proceeds to benefit The Muslim Alliance for Sexual & Gender Diversity @themasgd
Mask up for community. Test & stay home if you are sick. 😷
Sponsored by @westernmasscoalition4pal @codepinkalert @jvpwesternmass @wmsurj @rivervalleypsl @nohoabolitionnow @anti.imperialist.action @geouaw
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
The 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 tmorrison
BARGAINING COMMITTEE
The Bargaining Committee’s new weekly meeting time will be announced for the upcoming semester! Meetings are open to ALL members as we discuss proposals and action items regarding the bargaining process. Please come if you want to participate more in the bargaining process or provide inputs. Questions/comments/concerns: 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!
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 tmorrison
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 slawendy
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.
