<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><div>Good afternoon, fans of justice!</div><div><br></div><div>Grad employees on campus earn on average about $16,000 a year, well below the UI's own livable wage standard. Without tuition waivers this would largely just go straight back to the University. For such basic economic and other reasons grad employees at UIUC have been fighting for a union for many years. It took years to win legal recognition and bargain their first contract. Then in 2009 the GEO had to strike to get guaranteed tuition waivers and other basic provisions in writing. The University immediately reneged and only after a long and costly arbitration did the GEO prevail, only to have the University refuse to abide by the arbitrator's decision (a serious violation of labor law), and GEO had to fight again - and did prevail again. Now the UI is trying to back out again - as well as refusing to bargain in good faith over grad employee pay and stonewalling other important issues.</div><div><br></div><div>So the GEO just this morning set a date to strike if the University does not seriously change its tune in bargaining:</div><div><br></div><div>Mon. Feb. 26</div><div><br></div><div>Please sign up to join the picket line! Community support is crucial. I am part of a small committee coordinating signups by allies, so you can email me (privately, please, off list) your name, number, and what time you can picket Mon. Feb. 26 (preferable) between 8AM-5PM, or Tuesday 2/17. Or you can try this nifty googledocs signup, which Nick Goodell set up:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CeiYqXB2oazP90-703UwbXfWnHBZNiHqmLuJVJNqjWc/edit#gid=0" class="enhancr_card_8274895100">Strike Support Sign-Up</a><br></div><div><br></div><div id="ydp2aabfe12enhancr_card_8274895100" class="ydp2aabfe12yahoo-link-enhancr-card ydp2aabfe12ymail-preserve-class ydp2aabfe12ymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Segoe UI, Arial, sans-serif;" data-url="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CeiYqXB2oazP90-703UwbXfWnHBZNiHqmLuJVJNqjWc/edit#gid=0" data-type="YENHANCER" data-size="MEDIUM" contenteditable="false"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CeiYqXB2oazP90-703UwbXfWnHBZNiHqmLuJVJNqjWc/edit#gid=0" style="text-decoration:none !important;color:#000 !important;" class="ydp2aabfe12yahoo-enhancr-cardlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><table class="ydp2aabfe12card-wrapper ydp2aabfe12yahoo-ignore-table" style="max-width:400px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="400"><table class="ydp2aabfe12card ydp2aabfe12yahoo-ignore-table" style="max-width:400px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(224, 228, 233);border-radius:2px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="ydp2aabfe12card-primary-image-cell" style="background-image: url("https://s.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/GH1Urnkkogi.NJGyjGV5MA--~A/Zmk9ZmlsbDt3PTQwMDtoPTIwMDthcHBpZD1pZXh0cmFjdA--/https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6m4WWuIxFwGDOPqGzZxtVBhHKI6u9qov7N1s0t8XFy_KXmbvD5X_OaWgd711pK4TMQOCuA=w1200-h630-p.cf.jpg"); 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background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top" bgcolor="transparent" background="https://s.yimg.com/cv/ae/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV21/1/enhancr_gradient-400x175.png"><!--[if gte mso 9]><v:rect fill="true" stroke="false" style="width:396px;height:175px;position:absolute;top:-18px;left:0;"><v:fill type="pattern" color="#000000" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/ae/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV21/1/enhancr_gradient-400x175.png"/><v:textbox inset="0,0,20px,0"><![endif]--><table class="ydp2aabfe12yahoo-ignore-table" style="width: 100%; min-height: 175px;" height="175" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="ydp2aabfe12card-richInfo2" style="text-align:left;padding:15px 0 0 15px;vertical-align:top;"></td><td class="ydp2aabfe12card-actions" style="text-align:right;padding:15px 15px 0 0;vertical-align:top;"><div class="ydp2aabfe12card-share-container"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><!--[if gte mso 9]></v:textbox></v:rect><![endif]--></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td><table class="ydp2aabfe12card-info ydp2aabfe12yahoo-ignore-table" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-size: auto auto; position: relative; z-index: 2; width: 100%; max-width: 400px; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233);" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:#ffffff;padding:16px 0 16px 12px;vertical-align:top;border-radius:0 0 0 2px;"><img class="ydp2aabfe12card-object-1 ydp2aabfe12yahoo-ignore-inline-image ydp2aabfe12ymail-preserve-class" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/23/logos/google.png" style="min-width:36px;margin-top:3px;" height="36"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle;padding:12px 24px 16px 12px;width:99%;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Segoe UI, Arial, sans-serif;border-radius:0 0 2px 0;"><h2 class="ydp2aabfe12card-title" style="font-size:14px;line-height:19px;margin:0 0 6px 0;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Segoe UI, Arial, sans-serif;word-break:break-word;color:#26282a;">Strike Support Sign-Up</h2><p class="ydp2aabfe12card-description" style="font-size:12px;line-height:16px;margin:0px;color:#979ba7;word-break:break-word;">Sheet1 Name, email, Phone, time available 2-26, time available 2-27, time available 2-28, Affiliation( communi...</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I can meet you or make sure someone meets you at the Illini Union (Quad Side) at your appointed time to get you what you need. Thanks! Solidarity!</div><div>Ricky</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div class="ydp21a8fbc3signature">Ricky Baldwin <br>"Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." <br>- Maggie Kuhn</div></div></div></body></html>