[Peace] unions / celebrating the GEO's victory a year later / events Nov. 16, 17, and 18

[Karen Medina]

This week GEO is celebrating the one year anniversary of our victory
in the strike last year!

Please see below and join us in celebrating by attending any of the
activities we are hosting.

Tuesday Nov. 16
Office visit blitz, 10am-4pm
Instead of signing up for picket shifts like we did last year, this
year we're signing up for office visit shifts. On office visits you
pair up with someone and go speak with other graduate employees on
campus, find out how they're doing and inform them about the contract
and protections that we fought so hard for last year.  If you'd like
to do office visits you can contact your department steward or email
geo at uigeo.org and we can pair you up with an experienced office
visitor.

Wednesday Nov. 17
Panel Discussion, Latzer Hall in the University YMCA, 10am-noon
"A Year After the GEO Strike: The State of Labor at the University of Illinois"
Join GEO members, labor activists, faculty and undergrads in a
conversation about labor at the University of Illinois.  The panel
will be a chance to discuss what we learned from the GEO strike, and
how we can continue to collectively build the labor movement.  Donuts
and coffee will be served.

March to Foellinger, noon
At noon we'll assemble on the Quad and recreate the last moments of
the strike with a march to Foellinger (featuring the world-famous GEO
drumcorps)! Meet us on the Quad at noon and relive last year's joy and
camaraderie with your fellow graduate employees.

Thursday Nov. 18
Board of Trustees meeting, Chicago
Last May, the Board of Trustees hiked tuition 9.5%. The local News
Gazette reported today that the U of I administration hopes "to have
trustees act on tuition, room and board, and other student fees at
their January board meeting." This means that their November 18th
meeting in Chicago is one of the last chances for students to speak
out and demand a tuition freeze! Join the Undergraduate-Graduate
Alliance and a coalition of other groups from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the University of Illinois at
Chicago (UIC) to rally at the Board of Trustees meeting in Chicago.

We will be providing transportation and leaving around 9 a.m. for a
noontime rally. We will be back by the late afternoon. Let's keep
fighting for an accessible and affordable University! To sign up,
email illinoisuga at gmail.com with your name and phone number.