In this issue:
Wed Membership Meeting • Thu Computer Science Coffee Hour • Thu Women’s Caucus • Thu International Caucus Writing Retreat • Bargaining 2020: Why is Housing & Family a focus this year? Lessons from UCSC
1. GEO Membership Meeting & Dinner THIS WEDNESDAY 26 Feb 2020, 6pm-8pm
S330 Life Science Labs (across the street from ILC)
- Welcome, introductions, & dinner
- Up With Workers & Coffee Hours (5 min)
- Directions for Amherst Family Center after meeting with Admin (5 min)
- Graduate Housing crisis: Lincoln & North Village (5 min)
- Funding requests: Women’s Caucus, May 1 Relax-In (5 min)
- Mention of upcoming events (5 min)
- Any additional business? (15 mins)
- GEO Union Financial Update for Spring 2020 (30 min)
- Bargaining Activity (45 min)
2. Message from Justin Clarke, CICS GEO steward:
Please join us Thursday, 2/27, from 9:30 to 11:15am in CS150 for a coffee hour with your GEO representatives. There will be food and coffee (and also some GEO swag). GEO representatives will be available to answer your questions about workplace issues, the bargaining process, or any other questions you may have. This event is for all GEO eligible graduate students (not just for dues paying members). Hope to see you there! (Bring your friends!)
3. Message from Tiarra Cooper, Women’s Caucus:The GEO Women’s Caucus centers around women (trans inclusive), non-binary, femme presenting, and genderqueer folks. It serves as an anti-racist, feminist space to voice, advocate, and discuss concerns–many of which regard inclusion/exclusion, discrimination, and accessibility. First meeting Thu 2/27 at 12-1 Herter 301, see you there!
4. Message from Ragini Jha & Swati Birla, International Caucus Co-Chairs:
Join the International Caucus for the first of our many community building workspace sessions @ Herter 601 Thursday 2pm-6pm. Come for as long/short as you want, meet new folks, hang out with friends, get work done, and share stories over breaks! Refreshments and coffee provided! Also check out our new FB group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/184363135991960/
5. Housing & Family: Why we are fighting for this; lessons from UCSC
Did you know that in the last round of Bargaining, together we fought for and won a 20% increase in wages? That’s why compared to most grad students in the US we have a pretty high rate of pay @ $30.33 right now. What does this mean for Bargaining 2020? Will we be able to win more raises?
If there’s one thing we can learn from the inspiring struggle at UC Santa Cruz right now it is this: no matter how high our pay rate seems, what really matters is, Can we afford to live where we work? The Bargaining Committee is working on a narrative that has a broader understanding of compensation, because it is more than just wages and benefits. The housing market is already crowding us out; if you have debt, you’re a parent/expectant parent, have any financial dependents, or want to go home to family from time to time, can you afford life in the Happy Valley? With the closure of the precious little graduate housing we had, along with plans to de-fund the Amherst Family Center, UMass is bringing us all very close to a future that looks like this [picture credit UCSC]. What are we going to do about it? 
