Over the past few weeks, we have seen a further rise in political repression and backlash against higher education across the country. Senior lecturers like Melissa McCoul at Texas A&M have been fired for saying there are more than two genders in the classroom, tenured professors like Thomas Alter at Texas State have been fired - despite tenure protections - for making private political statements. Graduate students are being threatened or fired for social media posts, and pro-Palestinian activists’ lawful activities continue to be attacked and censored by the administration and other institutions. Staff members and faculty (including members of our UIC campus community) are being doxxed and threatened with rape, murder, and deportation for dissenting from this right wing administration - a cruel irony given the far right’s alleged commitment to “freedom of speech.” Yet universities are throwing their workers to the wolves in the hopes that firing anyone who dares to speak out against the federal government’s repressive status quo will shield our institutions from further punishment and loss of crucial federal funding. Look at Northwestern or Columbia and we see that the exact opposite is true.
As the largest public research institution in one of Donald Trump’s most hated cities, a University that serves primarily working class, Latine, and POC students, our community has already come under fire, and this reactionary backlash will undoubtedly continue to escalate. As a union, we are working to uncover the ways that our own members but also the broader UIC community have been affected by this nosedive into academic and political repression. In fact, university administration at UIC has already been perpetuating these attacks by demanding that we censor the part of our orientation presentation where we tell our members about their right to hold and act on their politics free from fear of retaliation. We've told them repeatedly this is a non-starter; we will not bargain away our right to educate our members. They've also recently insisted that our union does not have the right to stage public demonstrations (such as our recent rally to demand that the CampusCare waiver be reinstated) without approval, even though union activities should not legally be subject to such restrictive and chilling policies.
We want to say as clear as we can: graduate workers have every right to exercise their free speech as an individual and express their academic freedoms in and out of the classroom, and GEO is ready to stand up for anyone and everyone who faces backlash for asserting their legally protected rights. Here are some things we can immediately do for each other right now:
If you ever suspect that you are being retaliated against for your political views or personal beliefs, tell us so we can help! You can always reach out to us at grievance@uicgeo.org. You can also attend our upcoming Grievance Workshop to build out a plan of resistance alongside other coworkers.
It is illegal in the state of Illinois for anyone to record your speech in the classroom without your consent. If this happens, please tell us immediately!
We are actively working on identifying what, if any, current policies UIC has on the books that would protect our right as workers and as residents in the United States. This will enable us to push for better protections at the bargaining table and on the streets. At the same time, the best protections for each of us are jobs that are as stable and supportive as they can be. The best way to ensure our safety and job security is a strong union. GEO is fighting to build a union that represents the majority of graduate students so we can win a Fair Future for all. Having a living wage, 12 month appointment terms, academic protections, comprehensive healthcare, and contractual protections for international workers will help to keep ALL of us safe in the years to come. Want to join the fight? Sign onto our Fight for Fair Future petition here and make sure you’ve signed a union card!