Rights & Benefits – Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO)

GEO has fought for decades for the important rights and benefits in our contract, including caps on hours worked, sick leave, and job security. To learn more about the contract see our Contract Highlights document or read the full contract.

Contract Achievements

Year	What We Got	How We Got It
1975	First healthcare benefits 8% raise Non-discrimination clause	One month walkout: Members approved job action with a 689-193 vote; 50% of undergrads joined the picket line
1983	First partial tuition waiver First dental benefits Required department training 10% raise over 2 years	Grassroots organizing where stewards became the backbone of the union, dues were collected by hand, and one-on-one conversations kept members in the loop
1987	100% tuition waiver (for 0.5 fractions)	Rallies with 300 members in attendance, leading to a walkout authorization
1993	Healthcare benefits maintained after University threatens to end them 9% raise over 3 years	Walkout authorized after the University threatened healthcare benefits
2002	Childcare subsidy Workplace harassment grievance procedure	One-day walkout to win childcare subsidy
2006	Transgender healthcare coverage	Special conference procedure
2008	13.2% raise over 3 years Full tuition waiver for .237+ fractions Healthcare for all fractions Same-sex partner healthcare coverage	Rally with 300 members and Grade In with 150 members; Two-day walkout authorized, only one day needed as the University conceded on wage demands
2011	Maintained zero-premium healthcare Zero-premium dental for all fractions Lactation accommodations Centralized disability accommodations office and fund	Members ran a sustained pressure campaign with rallies, marches, and high attendance at bargaining sessions
2017	10.3% raise over 3 years International GSI hard hours cap Compensated diversity, equity, and inclusion GSSA positions	Grade In and Sit In with 300+ members at each, walkout authorized
2020	10.4% raise over 3 years Expanded sexual misconduct protections Increased medical leave to 6 weeks Speech language therapy coverage	Members ran a sustained pressure campaign with rallies, virtual actions, and high participation in phone-banking and email campaigns