What is a union?
A union is an organization formed by workers to negotiate for your rights in the workplace; including higher wages, safer working conditions, benefits, etc. In our case, GEO is part of UAW local 2322 and we represent graduate employees at UMass Amherst!
Am I eligible to be a GEO member?
GEO represents the vast majority of graduate student employees on campus. If you’re a TA, TO, RA, PA, Intern, Trainee, or Fellow, you’re protected by the union. ALL graduate students working in these positions can and should become members of GEO.
Am I automatically a member of GEO if I have a graduate assistantship?
No. All new graduate student employees working in GEO-protected positions NEED to sign up to join the union. You can do this by signing a membership form online at uawgeo.org, or by swinging by our office (Campus Center 917) to fill out a physical form.
Why should I become a member?
Becoming a member is the best way to support your peers and take a stand for graduate student workers on campus! Since its inception in the early 1990s, GEO has consistently bargained for higher wages, better benefits, and stronger workplace protections for graduate employees. Our power lies in our numbers: we bargain strong contracts because we have a strong and engaged membership. See all of the benefits we’ve won here [HYPERLINK TO THE BENEFITS PAGE].
These benefits only exist because of GEO! UMass works because we do! Without a strong membership, we are at risk of losing them.
Do I have to re-sign up every semester/year to be a GEO member?
No. Once you become a member, you will remain one for every graduate assistantship you have for the remainder of your time at UMass.
What rights and privileges do GEO members have?
GEO members are protected by the power of the union and legal procedures afforded through labor law and the enforcement of our contract. Federal labor law is intended to protect all workers in the United States, but union membership enriches those protections and puts them in action. All GEO members are entitled to a full voice and vote in the union. You can bring anything before the membership, attend and vote at membership meetings, vote to ratify new contracts, and vote for union officers and elected officials. You also have the right to be nominated for and elected to any GEO leadership position, from co-chair to department steward, as well as serve on GEO’s bargaining committee during contract negotiations.
GEO members also receive regular email updates about union goings-on and have access to a member-facing Slack workspace where GEO members from across UMass meet and converse about issues in their departments.
What are dues, how much do they cost, and why should I pay them?
Like all labor unions, GEO (and UAW Local 2322) is funded through regular contributions from members, known as dues. In a very basic sense, dues are the money that workers pool together and use to support one another. They are a basic material form of solidarity: a way of showing you stand with your fellow workers, past, present, and future.
All GEO members pay a one-time $20 initiation fee upon first signing up; after that, dues are 2% of your biweekly paycheck. This means that:
For a 10-hour assistantship making the GEO minimum ($32.66), dues cost $13.06 per pay period
For a 15-hour assistantship at the GEO minimum, dues cost $19.59 per pay period
For a 20-hour assistantship at the GEO minimum, dues cost $26.12 per pay period
Nothing in our contract has come for free. Dues are a small contribution that we make as members to demonstrate support for our strong union and make that strength sustainable.
How are dues spent?
That’s up to the membership to decide aka you! All funding and expenditures within GEO are voted on and approved directly by one of three bodies: the Steering Committee, the Stewards’ Assembly, or the general membership. Typically, we spend our money on things that increase GEO’s collective power at UMass and ensure that union business gets done. For example, we print educational and informational materials, order food for meetings, and provide material support to organizations in and around the Pioneer Valley.
Are GEO officers paid with dues?
NO. The six elected GEO staff positions and the four paid bargaining committee members are not funded with dues dollars. Rather, as a result of some historic, precedent-setting (for higher ed) victories at the bargaining table, these positions are paid for through the Provost’s Office as graduate assistantships. These positions are a valuable resource and allow GEO to coordinate member-led organizing efforts, ensure timely and efficient communications, and to represent the will of the membership to UMass Admin. While the people in these positions are empowered to make some decisions about the day-to-day functioning of the Union, the members are the real decision-makers.
What about Prestigious Graduate Fellows?
We are currently working out the kinks of this with regard to the newly included non-working fellows (now “prestigious graduate fellows”) and will provide more information on how membership will work for them as soon as we have it.
Is membership a big time commitment?
Membership is what you make of it and there is no standard time commitment. At the very minimum, membership with GEO means that you are afforded the wages, benefits and protections ensured through our contract. Union membership asks for a time commitment of the 5 minutes you spend signing up. But membership can also mean participation! Getting involved with your union is extremely rewarding and beneficial for you as an individual and the larger community. You can come to general membership meetings, get involved with a committee, come to actions or take action to get your department more organized. There are a ton of ways to get involved!