International Worker Picket Report Back
October 21st, 2024
GEO held a picket last Thursday to stand up against continuous neglect and exploitation of international workers. 34 members showed up to the Student Services Building where the Office of International Services is located. For over an hour, we shouted chants, sang in solidarity, and walked without stopping with our message held high — GEO is an international union and we won’t let UIC ignore a vital part of our membership.
Those who joined later could hear us making noise from blocks away. A few passing cars honked in support. We had productive conversations with several people stopping to ask what the picket was about. Most importantly, we saw university officials entering and exiting the building during the picket — we know they are aware of our demands.
As a reminder, our demands are:
- No more unfair discipline
- The union’s right to post union materials in the OIS office
- The union's right to represent workers in OIS interactions and academic discipline process
- For UIC to end the practice of calling police on workers
- For OIS and UIC at large to treat international workers with the respect and dignity they deserve
What we have done before the picket:
- Collected over 100 signatures on a petition with the same demands
- Sent a UIC-wide open letter conveying our position
- Brought the issue up at RA bargaining, as international research assistants are uniquely vulnerable to academic discipline affecting their legal status
UIC so far refuses to acknowledge our struggle, but we can still stand strong. The picket has shown that we are able to gather our voices and speak out for each other, domestic or international, TA or RA. If we did it last week, we can do it again if we have to, and more.
What you can do now:
- We include OIS campaign updates in every Monday digest. Keep an eye out and share the developments with your coworkers. Find people in your program or department who care and make sure they know what’s going on.
- Submit or encourage a friend to submit a testimonial about OIS neglect to communications@uicgeo.org. Have your documents always been processed on time? Has your case ever been lost? You can choose to remain anonymous.
- If you are an international worker and want to participate in the fight more closely, reach out to communications@uicgeo.org to let us know. The picket brought us together and we will be working on establishing an international caucus, a group especially invested in being a voice for international GEO members.