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From GEO

About GEO

The Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) is a unit of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2322, based in Holyoke, which also represents manufacturing, day care, human service, and fundraising employees.

If you are a Teaching Assistant (TA), Teaching Associate (TO), Research Assistant (RA), Project Assistant (PA), Assistant Resident Director (ARD), Intern, Trainee, or Working Fellow working at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, then the stipend and benefits, guaranteed by your contract, was negotiated by GEO.

Graduate employees at UMass have been organized since November 1990, when graduate students voted for representation by the UAW. Then as now, GEO played a central role in the campus coalition to help save the University by fighting budget cuts. After a 10-day strike in November 1991, our first contract took effect, dramatically improving the working conditions for graduate employees on this campus.

GEO operates according to its Bylaws, the UAW Local 2322 Bylaws, and the UAW Constitution which are determined by its membership.

Info for GEO grad students

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' INFO & FAQ

International and ALANA Students represent about 40% of all GEO members, and are thus a hugely important group. We have a dedicated staff member to assist with all ALANA/ International affairs who you can contact by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it alana@geouaw.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone: 545-0705.

If you were wondering whether your international status allowed you to join a union, the answer is simple - YES YOU CAN JOIN.

International Students represent about 40% of all GEO members

In 25 year of graduate employee unionization, there is no reported instance of any international student having problems with the law or with their visa status as a result of their union activity.

Can I join a union in the United States if I am here on a student visa?

YES

Can I join without any fear of repercussions?

     YES. It is against the law for the university (or any other employer you might have in the U.S.) to    discriminate or retaliate against you because you are a member of the union or active in the union. Graduate employees have formed unions and bargained contracts at many schools in the United States over the past 30 years. Often international graduate students have been in the leadership of these unions. There are no visa requirements or rules that affect international students' rights to join a union.

Even though I can legally join a union, are there any restrictions on my ability to participate in union activities such as picketing, rallies, leafleting, etc.?

     Within the union you have the same rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association as U.S. nationals. Political activities such as picketing, rallies, leafleting, demonstrations, sit-ins, etc. are forms of expression and free association, which are protected for international students in the U.S. who have student visas.

Will my union membership or union activity affect visa application I might make in the future?

     NO. It is against the law for the Immigration and Naturalization Service to ask you questions about your union membership, your legal union activities, or to take them into account in considering your visa application. IT IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT ALL ORGANIZATIONS TO WHICH YOU BELONG. THIS IS ASKED ON OUR CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION AND UNION MEMBERSHIP IS INCLUDED; IT CANNOT BE USED AGAINST YOU OR TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BUT IT IS ASKED.

Does an arrest for a civil disobedience affect my visa status?

     NO. Sometimes, union members will participate in civil disobedience as a form of protest. An arrest only for civil disobedience should not affect your visa status.

How does GEO at UMass take into consideration the legal needs of its members?

     GEO works with International Programs Office at Umass to determine the impact of union activities and actions on international students, as we did in 2004 during our campaign to overturn the International Student Fee.