To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "Illinois Provost" <provost@illinois.edu>

Reply-To: provost@illinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Union Issues

The GEO membership has voted to authorize its strike committee to call a 
strike at any time. The GEO made a formal press release today. Unofficial 
reports indicate that the strike would begin on Monday, November 16, 2009. 
Although we continue to believe that a strike is not in the best interests 
of either the GEO or the University, we recognize the GEO's legal right to 
take a strike action.

Our goal always has been, and continues to be, to provide the best 
possible contract within the budget constraints we face.

It is not news that the State of Illinois, and consequently the University 
of Illinois, face severe budget problems and an uncertain financial 
future. As Presidents White and Ikenberry shared recently, immediate 
challenges include the State's lack of capacity to provide the funding for 
this fiscal year that we are to have received but have not received. More 
serious yet is the negative effect that State budget shortfalls will have 
on funding appropriated for the duration of this academic year. Still more 
serious are the projected effects on the University budget for fiscal year 
2011 of the disappearance of federal recovery dollars from our State 
budget and the further erosion of the State's tax base. Financial planning 
is now focused on meeting and coping with financial stresses exceeding any 
the University has encountered for many, many years. Although we have seen 
welcome increases in research funding, and there have been successes in 
the advancement campaign, it must be understood that funds from those 
sources cannot be used for TA salaries.

For these reasons, the GEO's request for a nearly 20% raise in the minimum 
stipend is untenable. As you know, other employees of the University did 
not receive raises this year, and the state's economic situation may yet 
require furloughs and other cost-saving measures before the end of the 
fiscal year.  

The University has been working very hard with the GEO to reach an 
agreement on a new contract, and we have made substantial progress. We 
have held 18 negotiating sessions and have reached tentative agreement on 
several key items.

For example, the University and GEO have agreed to a substantial increase 
in the health insurance fee subsidy provided by the University, increasing 
the University's current contribution of 50% to 75% in years two and three 
of the contract. Additionally, we have agreed on a parental accommodation 
period for the birth or initial placement or adoption of a child.  

We value the contributions graduate students make to the University, and 
we know we are competing nationally and internationally to attract and 
retain the best and brightest students. The total compensation package 
offered by the University, which encompasses wages, waiver of most fees, 
the tuition waiver, and a University of Illinois education, reflects our 
recognition of the value brought to the University by our excellent 
graduate students.

Nearly 60% of GEO members have 50% appointments, which means they are 
required to work part-time, 20 hours a week for nine months each year. The 
average salary for those employees is $16,222 or $20.80 an hour. 

Our commitment to our students and employees has not changed. We remain 
committed to providing a quality education for our students and being a 
fair employer to all employee groups. We continue to seek ways we can 
provide the most beneficial employment to all. But we must not make 
concessions to the extraordinary demands of one group while respecting the 
University's severe budgetary constraints in dealing with all others. 

I remind you again that we have an obligation to our students and their 
families to provide the education which they have sacrificed to attain. 
Only GEO members have a legal right to strike; all other employees have an 
obligation to meet the responsibilities of their positions.  

Employees who choose not to cross a picket line must request and receive 
approval (in advance) for vacation time. As always, vacation approval is 
based on operational need; a unit is not required to approve a vacation 
request if there are operational needs that would be unmet if the request 
is approved. Sick leave cannot be utilized to cover strike-related 
absences. If staff not covered by the GEO contract have unapproved 
absences during the strike, normal discpline procedures will apply. As 
with any union-initiated strike action, GEO members who elect to strike 
rather than meet their job obligations will not be paid for strike 
absences.  

It is important to remember that a work stoppage will do nothing to 
improve the financial situation that constrains what the University can do 
in this round of negotiations, and it will not change what the University 
can offer in these negotiations. The campus remains committed to 
fulfilling our educational mission. Our students are entitled to the 
education they have come to Illinois to receive, many with substantial 
sacrifice by them and their families. We hope assistants will respect 
their instructional obligations and not impair students' progress in their 
current courses. The campus will monitor the situation closely and assess 
options for dealing with any disruption that might occur to minimize the 
harm which a work stoppage would cause.

Instructors are expected to alert students in advance about any changes in 
class assignments or arrangements made because of a strike. The office 
staff in the department or college offering a specific course also will be 
available to respond to questions or problems that might arise in the 
event of a work stoppage, and staff in the Dean of Students office also 
will be available at 217-333-0050 to respond to questions or concerns of 
students or their parents. Some notes on the GEO negotiations are 
available through this link: 
http://www.provost.illinois.edu/geo_negotiation_notes.html.  
This mailing approved by:
The Office of the Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

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