Contract Bargaining Session 4

June 29, 2025

On June 16th, we had our fourth bargaining session with the university. In this session, we passed over XVIII Access to Personnel File, IX Additional Employment, and XVI Dues Deduction. We received a counter on XXIII Electronic Availability of the Agreement, a counter on XVII Work Rules, and VI Training. Additionally, the university withdrew X Employee Rights, and XI Union Rights, with little explanation other than they would want to make changes in light of recent events and conversations - this reasoning, as it sounds, is quite vague. 

We were not able to use our time to make headway on the MOU, as the university spent the majority of the time caucusing. This is within their right as it is ours, though this may be a tactic to avoid discussing the MOU with us. However, GEO will not back down on the demands made in the MOU. 

Additionally, near the end of the session, the university's team brought up a matter which they had already emailed the Steering Committee about - that in our orientation slides, we include a slide that mentions protecting grad workers' right to political speech, with a screenshot of an article about Columbia students protesting for Palestine. Keino Robinson emailed Steering Committee about this slide (from orientations given last summer) at the end of this May, with the complaint that this slide made students "uncomfortable," describing the attire of the GEO member giving the orientation as "concerning" (we are unsure of what attire this is, but assume it was something like a keffiyeh or pro-Palestine shirt).

We responded in the session the same way Steering Committee did via email: GEO is in charge of our own material, and UIC's attempt to control our orientation materials are an overreach and could amount to an unfair labor practice. UIC's team suggested they may bring a proposal to the table about these kinds of materials - and we will be prepared to defend our right to design our own materials.

Reach out to our bargaining committee with your questions, concerns, and suggestions at bargaining-comm@uicgeo.org!