Why become a union member?

Why become a union 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. You can sign up using the form on this page, or stop by the GEO Office (Campus Center 917) and fill out a paper form.

Since its inception in the early 1990s, GEO has been able to consistently bargain 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. The more members we have, the stronger we are in bargaining, and the more effectively we can enforce our contract in the workplace through grievances. By becoming a member you signal to the university that you care about the benefits GEO has fought for and won in the past. These include: 

• A 100% waiver of tuition
• A 95% waiver for the cost of the health insurance at UMass
• a 50% waiver of the graduate service fee
• inclusion of “non-working” fellows in the GEO bargaining unit
• FREE dental and vision for individuals (and deeply discounted for families)
• A $225 wellness reimbursement so grad student employees can join the gym on- or off-campus—or purchase home fitness equipment
• Childcare subsidies for graduate student employees with families
• Deeply discounted parking permits on campus
• Regular pay raises with every contract (most recently GEO won a 7.69% pay increase through bargaining; previously we have won as much as 20% raises for grad employees making the minimum rate)

AND MORE!

To be clear: these benefits exist because of GEO. They are the result of collective bargaining with the university. We would not have any of them without a union. And we would be at the mercy of the administration: if they decided to get rid of something, we’d have no leverage for fighting back. GEO gives us that leverage. Becoming a GEO member is the easiest and most powerful way to show you’re passionate about these benefits and you want to keep them. It also lets UMass know you support the union’s proposals at the bargaining table. This empowers us to fight for better benefits, expanded protections, and higher wages. United we stand, divided we beg!

GEO places member engagement and democracy at the fore of our operations. It doesn’t matter what department you’re from, your voice is essential in our collective decision-making processes. You are this union. And the only way to improve working conditions across UMass (and across the country) is for all of us to stand together.

Read on for some frequently-asked questions about GEO membership; or click right over to the membership form and sign up today!

What rights and privileges do GEO members have?

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 and how much do they cost?

Like all labor unions, GEO (and Local 2322) are 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

As a point of comparison, out-of-state tuition for one year at UMass Amherst is $31,489 (as of 2022-2023); the Graduate Service Fee is $1,270 for one year; and student health insurance costs $2,337. (For a more detailed breakdown of what you save on health insurance thanks to GEO, check out the breakdown on our health insurance page.) These costs can go up by thousands of dollars each year. Most of them are waived or reduced for GEO members thanks to our successes in collective bargaining. We also receive benefits that virtually no other campus unions have access to: childcare subsidies, free dental and vision, and a $225 wellness reimbursement through the UAW/UMass Health and Welfare Trust Fund. And of course, GEO negotiates over wage increases every couple of years. In a very concrete sense, we can’t afford not to pay dues.

How are my dues dollars spent?

That’s up to the membership to decide. 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. We print materials (educational/informational fliers and pamphlets, copies of our contract, posters for GEO bulletin boards, important updates about upcoming events), order food for meetings and events, and provide material support to organizations in and around the Pioneer Valley involved with labor and other progressive causes. Dues also help pay for legal counsel, union representation from our local, and the costs associated with bringing grievances to arbitration—which have ensured huge wins like the vacation payout from spring 2020.

In GEO, the membership is the highest authority, and transparency about how we use our money is a paramount concern. At the first general meeting of every spring semester, GEO members vote to approve a budget for the upcoming calendar year. That budget is available to view for all members in good standing; just swing by the office (Campus Center 917) or write to us at [email protected] to set up a time to meet! Additionally, all meetings of funds-approving bodies are open to any member in good standing who wishes to attend.

Are GEO officers paid with members’ 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 collective that is the Union, the members are the real decision-makers.

Is membership a big time commitment?

Simply joining the union goes a long way toward strengthening our collective power. It’s the most powerful gesture a graduate student worker can make. It also makes it easier to stay informed about what’s going on in the union and at UMass. GEO members will always receive the latest news about what’s happening in the union first. When you sign up electronically, your confirmation email will include a link to the GEO members’ Slack workspace, where you can talk with other members across campus and find out about everything that’s going on. You’ll also be added to our email list and receive newsletters, bargaining updates, and other regular communications from GEO.

If you want to get more involved, you can! You can join one of our many committees and caucuses (or convene a committee if there’s not one doing this labor). You can serve your department as a steward, and even run for GEO office. There are so many ways to get involved. If you have an idea about something you want to do, we’ll work together to make it a reality. GEO is and always has been committed to creating spaces where member-driven initiatives can take root.

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, or by swinging by our office (Campus Center 917) to fill out a physical form.

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. 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.

How can I check if I’m a member?

If you have ever filled out a dues form, either a paper form or the electronic form on our website, then you should be a member. You can confirm this by checking your paystub on UMass’ HRDirect here and view your paystub. Dues are marked in After-Tax Deductions as Amh GEO Dues. If you are unable to see your dues reflected on your paystub and expect it to be there, please contact us at [email protected].

So what are you waiting for? Join the majority of graduate student employees at UMass. Become a GEO member today!