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After a widely publicized strike by the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) at the University of Illinois, the GEO has secured a tentative contract with the University that secures tuition waivers for eligible teaching assistants.

The GEO, along with the American Federation of Teachers/Illinois Federation of Teachers Local 6300, AFL-CIO, and The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), voted to ratify the tentative contract agreement reached between the GEO and University of Illinois (UI) Board of Trustees bargaining teams in Urbana.

In addition to protecting tuition waivers, the contract included securing an additional two weeks of unpaid parental leave, increasing the University’s contribution to health care premiums, and raising the minimum salary, totaling ten percent over three years.

The strike and negotiations took place during the “Education is NOT for $A₤€!” Global Week of Action. Students organized demonstrations and teach-ins internationally, emanating from Germany but stretching across Europe, Africa, and the United States.

The GEO maintains it will still fight for fairness in education, aligning with higher education labor unions across the nation to oppose what they see as the privatization of the public school system.

The contract agreement between the GEO and the Board of Trustees will now move to the Board’s next meeting for approval, which is scheduled for Jan. 21 in Chicago.

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