Dear Academic Professional and Civil Service Colleagues,

As you know, our Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) has communicated it intends to strike Monday. The campus will continue to operate and to deliver the educational experiences our students expect. We know you likely will be asked about this, so we are writing to update you on campus operations for the upcoming week and also to share information we have sent to graduate employees who are represented by the GEO.

For information regarding negotiations, strike preparation, go to: go.illinois.edu/geonegotiations.

All Academic Professional and Civil Service employees are expected to report to work and perform their job duties as usual, even if the building in which you work is being picketed. Employees, students and members of the public have a right to enter buildings without being intimidated, coerced or threatened.

Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement are reminded that they are prohibited from engaging in sympathy strikes during their work hours. Employees who choose to engage in such action may only do so on their own time (before or after their work day, during break or lunch periods, or use of approved vacation).

University regulations on demonstrations can be found in the Campus Administrative Manual at http://cam.illinois.edu/policies/campus-demonstrations-and-protests/.

Thank you for your patience and efforts to ensure our undergraduates experience as little disruption to their education as possible in the coming days. The campus will continue bargaining in good faith and will do all that we can to reach an agreement that is fair to both parties and serves the excellence of graduate education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

If you have any questions, please contact Illinois Human Resources, Labor and Employee Relations at 217-333-3105.

Best regards,

Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

MESSAGE TO GEO REPRESENTED EMPLOYEES SENT ON FEB. 25:

Dear Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization Bargaining Unit,

The University and the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) held a five-hour session with the federal mediator in an effort to reach a new agreement and avert a strike. The University was willing to continue negotiations through that night, but the GEO has indicated that it will proceed with plans for strike on Monday.

We have been negotiating in good faith throughout this process and have made significant progress so far, reaching tentative agreements in 12 of the originally identified bargaining areas. And our proposals on the remaining issues have demonstrated significant movement responsive to the GEO’s concerns.

• The current proposal explicitly guarantees tuition waivers to bargaining unit members, offers clear protections of the value of those waivers throughout a student’s academic career here and was adjusted to remove language about eligibility that the GEO said was cause for concern.
• The current proposal offers a 10% increase in the minimum wage over the life of the agreement and a 3% increase in the first year for reappointed students with raises commensurate with the rest of campus in the remaining years.
• The current proposal offer would raise the university’s contribution to the student health insurance fee for represented employees from 80% to 87%.

We are committed to continuing to bargain to reach an agreement that is fair and beneficial for all involved as soon as possible.

As I said in my earlier message to you, we greatly value your significant contributions to the academic and educational missions of this university.

• So that you may remain informed, here is the updated side letter language submitted by the University at today’s session, The new language provided revised language in response to the GEO’s concern about the word “eligible.”
  
  The University has reserved, as part of its management rights, the right to determine and modify the graduate program tuition waiver designations. Each program, therefore, will be permitted to exercise the rights and authority associated with its designation relating to tuition waivers, regardless of whether that right or authority has been previously exercised.
  
  The University agrees that current students are governed by the waiver policy in effect at the time of first enrollment in the program as long as they remain in that program, are in good academic standing, and are making proper progress toward graduation in that program even if modifications in that program should occur. Accordingly, if the University determines that program needs have changed and elects to modify the designation or suspend future enrollment in a program, the existing students within that program will nevertheless continue to be governed by the waiver policy in effect at the time of their first enrollment in the program as long as they remain in that program, they hold a tuition waiver generating assistantship, maintain good academic standing and continue to make appropriate progress towards their degree.
  
  Similarly, if the University decides to modify the tuition waiver given to incoming students within a graduate program from a full waiver to a base-rate waiver, the University will not modify the full tuition waiver offered to the existing students within that program who hold a tuition waiver generating assistantship throughout the time that they remain in that program, provided that they maintain good academic standing and continue to make appropriate progress towards their degree.
  
  All doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs will continue to grant tuition waivers. The University will guarantee funding to those students enrolled in a Ph.D. graduate program for a period of five (5) academic years provided that they (1) held a University provided tuition-waiver generating assistantship or fellowship throughout the first year (of the five year period) of their enrollment in that program, (2) remain enrolled in that same program, (3) continue to satisfactorily perform the duties of their assistantships, (4) maintain good academic standing, and (5) continue to make appropriate progress towards obtaining their degree.  The funding provided during that time period may take a variety of forms within the discretion of the University, including tuition-waiver generating graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, pre-professional assistantships, and fellowships.

We will continue to negotiate and work together with your labor representative, the GEO, during this strike. We have made significant progress toward a final agreement and our goals are not separate or different here. We want to ensure Illinois’ sustainable excellence in graduate education and research by remaining competitive in attracting the most talented, hard-working and brightest graduate students in the world.

I remain optimistic that we are going to reach an agreement that does just that.

Best regards,

Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost