Hi fellow workers,
We hope you’re doing well during this busy time with finals and end of semester. Read on for some important updates!
MEMBERSHIP MEETING TOMORROW 12/05, 3-5 PM
We will be holding the last membership meeting of the semester in Herter 601, 3-5 pm on December 5. We will be continuing a number of important discussions from the last week including the open letter, article 3 of the GEO contract (FAQ to be distributed) and the creation of a new GEO position.
In the meanwhile, if you would like to request something in the agenda, please use this link. It will be open till 2 pm, 12/4.
PRO WILL HAVE THEIR FIRST BARGAINING SESSION: 12/05, 9AM
PRO, the postdoc union at UMass, will be having their first bargaining session at 9am on Tuesday, December 5th in Campus Center 168. The PRO co-chairs have asked that any and all GEO members attend their bargaining session to support their efforts to win better wages and protections.
PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAUCUS + ACTION TODAY
On Monday, GEO Palestine Solidarity Caucus hosted a second weekly sit-in of Whitmore Admin building. This sit-in, organized by members of SJPxDissenters to demand UMass call for an end to the siege in Gaza and demilitarize UMass, gives grad workers a space for peaceful protest, solidarity building across UMass and UAW, and educational resources. In addition to centering the goals and demands of the SJPxDissenters, we welcome other organizations with similarly aligned values to share with us your vision for a more just, sustainable, and demilitarized local/five-college community. TODAY we will return to Whitmore at 4:30pm Monday, 12/4 for a peaceful demonstration outside the building, and host another facilitated discussion from 5 – 6pm inside. All five-college workers, students, faculty, and greater community are welcome. Follow geo_palestine_solidarity on instagram for updates.
HOUSING RESOURCE:
Here is a housing resource for graduate students, shared by one of our members. This is with the hope of sharing a legitimate housing platform for folk to find leads in case they need it, called “OFFICIAL UMass Amherst Off-Campus Housing (by students for students)”
RESOLUTION TO REVITALISE GEO ORGANISING IN GMM
Please see here a "Resolution to Revitalise GEO Organising by Acting in Solidarity," drafted by some of our members in light of the discussions after the open letter. You can read the resolution in advance of the general membership meeting discussion.
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 tmorrison
BARGAINING COMMITTEE
The bargaining committee meets Mondays, 1:30-2:30 at Campus Center 917. 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
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
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.
