Successful May Day Rally with UCLC The University of Chicago Labor Council (of which GSU is a member) hosted a May Day Rally on Sunday, May 1, celebrating International Workers Day. The rally focused on bringing awareness to unrecognized labor and anti-union policies at UChicago and across the South Side. In addition to GSU, participating organizations included National Nurses United, the International Workers of the World-Chicago, Hyde Park Tenants United, UChicago without Borders, Care Not Cops, Students for Justice in Palestine at UChicago, and more! Check out local media coverage from the Chicago Maroon and the HP Herald!If you are interested in volunteering with more UCLC-related actions, please reach out at graduatestudentsunited@gmail.com!

Student Services Fee: Spring Quarter Organizing While organizing around the Student Services Fee has been winding down this quarter, we’d like to remind you that it’s more important now than ever that we stay in touch. We know that many graduate workers still have outstanding debt from participating in this action in order to force the administration to eliminate the SSF going forward, and that some are planning on graduating this spring and summer. If you have outstanding debt and are planning on graduating this quarter, please contact your Departmental Organizer or email graduatestudentsunited@gmail.com as soon as possible; we know that individuals have been able to graduate without paying off fees in the past, and we’d love to support you in doing so! Meanwhile, if you are seeking a way to pay down debt, GSU’s Hardship Fund is up and running. If you are a graduate worker, you can apply here to receive funds to help pay off outstanding Student Services Fees. And if you have a few dollars to spare, consider donating to the GSU Hardship Fund to help support our coworkers who put their finances on the line to get the fee canceled for everyone! If you have any questions or concerns or want to help organize with the campaign,  please reach out to your departmental organizer or to the union directly at graduatestudentsunited@gmail.com.

IU Bloomington Grad Workers On Strike: 3 weeks and counting!  Following a successful card campaign by graduate workers at Indiana University Bloomington – in which over 60% of graduate students signed union cards – IU refused to enter talks with the union. IU Bloomington grad workers proceeded to strike, and are now voting to continue their strike into a third week! Show your support by donating to their strike fund and showing your solidarity on social media! Teamsters Win Contract! Following After months of tense negotiation, the University of Chicago-affiliated Teamsters, Local 743, successfully won what their chief negotiator calls “the best agreement in at least 26 years.” Local 743 represents around 3,000 workers across the University and UCMC and had been working without a contract since February. In addition to wage increases, for the first time, the union secured six weeks of paid parental leave for employees. Read more about it here! What’s Going on with Teaching Fellowships…? Many graduate workers were caught by surprise when the University suddenly cut funding for a number of once-highly competitive, prestigious teaching fellowships. Within hours of application deadlines, an email went out announcing that the award was turned from (on average) a $5,000 payment to a $2,000 “honorarium.” Mad? So are we!!! Read about it here.

Support our Organizing–Sign Up for Optional Monthly Dues! We’re excited to announce that GSU is officially now able to collect optional monthly dues from members! With just a fraction of your salary–far less than the annual cost of the Student Services Fee that we have just won coverage of–our union can create a stable and sustainable income that can be budgeted to pay for needs like meeting space, supplies, and organizing support. We are setting the initial goal of collecting enough to hire a part- or full-time staffer to help support the expansion of our organizing efforts. You can sign up now to start contributing any amount, and you can change the amount you contribute or stop at any time.