Consider Joining GEO Leadership

In April, GEO members and stewards will be electing new officers of the union, according to the provisions in our Constitution. In addition to the usual officer positions, we will also be electing the members of the Bargaining Team who sit across the table from the University during negotiations. These positions will be especially important as we enter contract negotiations with the University in the upcoming academic year.

We encourage you all to participate in the election process.

1. Attend the Informational Meeting

Wednesday, March 20, 6pm in the GEO Office, 399 E Liberty St, Suite 340

If you are interested in running for any GEO leadership positions, please join us! Interested members can discuss various roles with current officers, staff, and other leadership. This meeting is a requirement for anyone who plans to run as a candidate. If you are unable to attend, you can instead schedule a meeting with a current officer or staff organizer. See our contact page here.

Candidacy statements are subsequently released in the announcement of the April 5th GMM.

2. Attend the General Membership Meeting + Year-End Party!

Friday, April 5, 6pm at Neutral Zone

At this GMM, we will be electing the Bargaining Team, comprised of six members who will represent GEO to Human Resources during contract negotiations next year.

We will also elect the four constitutional officers:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary

3. Final Stewards’ Council

Wednesday, April 17, 6pm in the GEO Office, 399 E Liberty St, Suite 340

At this meeting, Stewards will elect:

  • Bargaining Committee Chairs (researches and drafts contract language to bring to the bargaining table)
  • Communications Chairs
  • Grievance Chairs
  • Organizing Chairs
  • Solidarity and Political Action Chairs
  • Head Steward
  • Web Administrator

Additionally, the chairs of caucuses or ad hoc committees are non-elected officer positions. They include, Disability Caucus Chair, Electoral Action Subcommittee Chair, International GSI Caucus Chair, North Campus Organizing Committee Chairs, Parents Caucus Chair, and Trans Health Caucus Chair.

If you have any questions about this process or wish to learn more about the positions to be elected, please write to secretary@geo3550.org. You can also get in touch with other officers by emailing the addresses on our contact page.

For more details about the various leadership positions, please see:


Nationwide Climate Strike on March 15

Some of your students might be involved in the Washtenaw Country Student Climate Strike, part of global efforts to call for action on climate change. The activists involved in the Climate Action Movement have created teaching resources on on Friday’s action.


Students of Color Town Hall

It’s clear from platform development results that racial justice is a key priority for GEO members. We want to make more space to hear from members of color directly on racial justice issues. Please join us at our Students of Color Town Hall on Wednesday, March 27 at 7pm in the GEO Office, 399 E Liberty St, Suite 340. We hope you’ll join us for food, solidarity, and to make your voice heard! RSVP on Facebook.


Take 5 Minutes to Rank Your Priorities!

Next year, the contract governing GSI/GSSA pay, benefits, and workplace protections expires and GEO will negotiate a new contract. We need to know what graduate students at UM need from our next contract.

To assess what issues are most crucial to graduate students, we’re asking you to take our Platform Priorities Survey. It only takes 5 minutes!

Any graduate student at UM can take the survey and responses are anonymous. After completing this survey, our members will vote on a bargaining platform (the things we try to add to our new contract), and member energy and involvement is how we win them. To become a member, visit geo3550.org/member

If you want more background information about the issues on the survey, check out our Planks Explainer. Email platformcommittee@geo3550.org with any questions or comments!


General Membership Meeting & End-of-Year Party

At this GMM we will:

  • Elect members of the Bargaining Team that will be negotiating our new contract next term
  • Hold elections for GEOs constitutional officers for the upcoming academic year
  • Listen to updates form the platform development committee, reporting on the results of last GMM and of the Rankings Survey

RSVP on Facebook.


Not Teaching this Term?

GEO is a labor union representing graduate student employees, yet many of the benefits we negotiate in our contract become the baseline for graduate student packages and are extended to graduate students even when they don’t teach. These include GradCare, tuition waivers, and annual raises. All graduate students benefit from GEO and have a vested interest in keeping our union strong. See your options for contributing solidarity dues in terms you do not teach!

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