Workers' Assembly Report-Back

June 10th, 2024

On June 5, the union held our first ever grad workers' assembly in the West Campus Courtyard! This was a space for the bargaining committee to share survey results, and for members to speak up about their concerns and priorities. We were joined by grad workers from across campus, from including Liberal Arts and Sciences, CUPPA, College of Medicine, and College of Engineering. The event started with an introduction from our emcees. A College of Medicine grad worker shared about their coworkers' attempts to reform grad program policies, underscoring the need to connect with the rest of the union and the wider grad labor movement. Then one of the Co-Presidents introduced the event, explained the history of the union and the purpose of this event. Contract bargaining campaigns are often defeated when the bosses successfully drive a wedge between the bargaining committee and the rank and file, so the assembly is a way to unite workers, build trust, and formulate a strategy through a collective process. Next, a member of the Bargaining Committee presented the survey results, emphasizing workers' grievances around low pay and long working hours. Members chimed in to share their own personal experiences, exchanging stories about frustrating interactions with CampusCare and discussing how the grievance process can be leveraged to organize against injustices at the department level. 

Finally, we broke out into small groups to discuss our bargaining strategy. When we came back together as a group to hear about the discussion, low wages and job precarity were clear themes. We agreed that this event was only one more step in an ongoing process of dialogue between leadership and the rank-and-file, with many more opportunities to collaborate and share feedback in the coming weeks. The event closed with a call to commit some time each month to joining the fight - and every member in attendance raised their hand. We look forward to seeing even more members when we face UIC admin at the bargaining table on June 28!