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U of I Teaching Assistants Threaten Strike
Produced by Kate Gardiner on Monday, November 09, 2009
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Teaching assistants at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus say they're ready to go on strike. The Graduate Employee's Organization says its members want guaranteed tuition waivers and a raise.
Union representative Ashley Howard says the school's problem is its budget priorities.
HOWARD: It's not robbing Peter to pay Paul, it's an issue of priorities and who deserves the money that we know the University of Illinois has. Is it kinda the people at the top, or is it people who have every day interactions with students and make a real tangible difference in their lives?
Howard says teaching assistants at the U of I have been without a contract for more than six months.
But university spokeswoman Robin Kaler says the state budget and the university's administrative crisis have left U of I with limited options. She says the union is asking for more than $5 million in guarantees... that the school doesn't have.
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former staff, champaign // Tuesday, November 10, 2009 @ 4:50 PM
I fully support the GEO and its decision to strike. I have worked for several university professors and at a university owned start-up company and have seen first hand how the university prioritizes business over academia. The real value of a university is in the quality of it's students, graduate students, and professors. Not in the ability to produce graduates quickly and at a low cost(this only creates the appearance of financial improvement in the short term. The GEO is actually trying to act in the best long term interests of the university whether the university can realize it or not. As as far as numbers are concerned please read the GEO's press release that has far more accurate and detailed information then the provost is choosing to share http://bit.ly/1Ebhp8 . So since I love UIUC and love living in a highly educated society, I guess I have to say, THANKS GEO for showing some serious courage for such an important cause.
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Current Staff, former GA, Champaign // Wednesday, November 11, 2009 @ 8:02 AM
I support meeting the needs of the GA and I agree that the university does not provide enough direct compensation or guarantees of indirect compensation. However, the timing of this request makes a mutually acceptable resolution difficult to achieve.
Each university department is being asked to prepare adjustments to their FY11 and FY12 budgets to accommodate scenarios of 5%, 10%, and 15% cash rescission. The GEO is asking for a 20% increase in direct compensation. It is unfortunate that the GEO contract negotiations are taking place in this economic climate and that critical mass couldn't be reached during past economic booms.
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