The Caucus for a Democratic Union at the University of Massachusetts Boston expresses its solidarity with and support for the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) currently on strike. Over 1500 Teaching Assistants and Graduate Assistants at UIC have been working without a contract for over 5 months, and GEO has been in negotiations with the university administration for over one year. Graduate workers at UIC live in a state of constant financial anxiety, often not knowing whether they will continue to have a job appointment each semester, and making as little as $18,000 while simultaneously having to pay $2,000 in university fees, even when serving as the lead instructor for classes of up to 60 undergraduate students.
On March 19, the GEO began an indefinite strike to win a fair contract! The CDU supports the GEO and urges UIC university administration to pay its workers a living wage!
You can find more information about the strike here.
The GEO is also asking for donations to its strike fund to ensure they can hold out against the university administration for however long it takes to win living wages, fee waivers, and transparent appointment policies. Please consider making a contribution by visiting their strike fund website.
Caucus for a Democratic Union @ UMass Boston 