We are not paid enough to do our work. You know it. We know it. We feel it in our anxiety when our monthly utility bills loom. We feel it in our perpetual stress managing rent and groceries alongside research and instruction. We feel it trying to take care of our kids, our parents, and our partners amidst the rapid inflation and overall insecurity of the economy.
But we also feel it in the complete mismatch between the high quality work we do and what little our University thinks that is worth. UIC’s top-tier status as an R1 research institution - which they love to boast about in their recruitment campaigns - would not be possible without the tireless intellectual labor of graduate workers. We stay up late at our desks and in our labs generating vital knowledge that both keeps UIC afloat and builds a brighter and more curious future across academia and beyond. We work overtime to reach our students who are undocumented or from mixed status families to ensure their access to higher education and demand that the university take accountability for their safety and security amidst fascist federal intervention across our city. UIC only works because we do.
That’s why, over 70 days ago, we proposed $60,000 with 12 month appointments as our baseline for the value of the work we do. That’s why we proposed waiving all of our fees, making CampusCare completely free for every graduate worker, and the implementation of a healthcare option you can use at other healthcare institutions outside of the UI System. At first glance, this proposal may seem like a lot. But it’s what we deserve - especially in the context of the relative pay cuts we’ve been made to take year over year through inflation. Other universities are beginning to see the necessity of paying graduate workers more. In Chicagoland, graduate workers at Northwestern are paid $45,000 and at UChicago they are paid the same. Other public universities like the University of California System are implementing wage increases up to $60,000 by the end of their contract. Highly ranked institutions across the country agree that it’s past time to pay graduate workers a living wage.
So on December 5th, after over 70 days of asking us to wait for their response on our economic demands, what does UIC offer? A minimum wage of $24,400 for a 9 month appointment - that’s a meager 1% wage increase in the first year of the contract. As if that wasn’t insulting enough, they also proposed year over year increases in our CampusCare fees of up to $100, no 12 month appointments, and no option for a comprehensive healthcare plan. Further, there is no raise guarantee after that measly 1%. Instead, the university proposed language that would allow only them to determine our raises for years two and three of the contract. With inflation, the proposed $200 raise disappears into a $700 pay cut due to these fee increases. At the bargaining table, the university refused to acknowledge the reality that these wages amount to a pay cut relative to the economy’s rapid inflation. And when we asked why they needed to raise our CampusCare fees, do you know what they said? That this increase is necessary because of inflation.
When we asked how this pay cut could possibly make sense, knowing full well that we cannot afford to continue working here and living in a high cost-of-living city at the pay they are willing to offer us, Keino Robinson, UIC’s Director of Labor and Employee Relations, who currently makes over $200,000 annually, said: “Grad school is a choice, it is not like any other job. To think you are going to be paid to cover all your bills is unrealistic.”
Does all of this make you angry? Are you frustrated that the university refuses to acknowledge our value as workers and the vital services that we provide? Are you concerned that you won’t be able to finish your graduate degree under these working conditions? Then join us and fight back!
First, if you are not already a member of the union, please sign a card to join us today. The union’s strength is in our numbers! A strong membership base will show the administration that they cannot continue playing around with our livelihoods and must offer us a serious economic proposal at the bargaining table.
If you are a member, we would love for you to get involved and start organizing! The union has a variety of committees that you can join to utilize your many skills and talents to help us fight for a fair future. Our union is entirely run by volunteer members, so your participation is vital to our success. We know that you’re very busy - so are we! But any amount of time and effort that you’re able to contribute can make a big difference.
If you’d like to get involved ASAP, join us on December 16th, 17th, and 18th in person at the GEO office (815 W Van Buren St, Ste. 203) OR online to hit the phones at our very first CALL-A-THON. Come hang out, eat some free food (!), and build community by calling other grad workers and telling them why they should join the union to kick off our well-deserved winter break. Please RSVP here if you’d like to attend, either in person or online.
If you would like to learn more about what volunteer opportunities are available, please contact us at geo@uicgeo.org, and someone from our leadership would be happy to discuss.
When graduate workers are under attack, what do we do…? STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK!