UIC GEO STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH SEIU LOCAL 73!

June 1, 2012

The University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate Employees Organization (UIC GEO, IFT/AFT Local 6297, AFL-CIO), the union of 1400 Teaching and Graduate Assistants at UIC, supports SEIU Local 73 and its efforts to attain a fair contract in recognition of the important work its members do at the university.

The UIC administration has refused to grant raises beyond the campus wage program. We request that the administration return to the bargaining table and resume wage negotiations to ensure that UIC employees earn a fair and decent wage. It is the administration’s role as an employer to provide job and economic security for its employees, and the administration can provide that by settling a fair contract now with SEIU. They are an integral part of the success of the university and deserve the administration’s respect both in the process of negotiations and their working conditions.

Members of the UIC GEO will continue to support SEIU in their contract negotiations. Our members understand that for UIC to achieve its goal as a world-class educational institution, it must provide decent working conditions and contractual rights to its employees. Everyone involved shares an interest in the quality of education and employment at UIC, and the administration has the power to demonstrate that it values the contributing members of its institution by prioritizing their needs at these basic levels by providing a decent wage.

On behalf of UIC GEO, we strongly urge the administration to return to the bargaining table and take the necessary steps to negotiate a proper contract.

In Solidarity,

The Members of UIC GEO, IFT/AFT Local 6297, AFL-CIO