By a vote of 1,188 to 347, graduate employees at the University of Illinois finally brought to a close an eight-year campaign to gain collective bargaining rights and an agent to represent them.

On Dec. 3-4, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board sponsored an election for the unit of 2,665, which chose the Graduate Employees Organization/IFT/AFT over no agent. It was a campaign marked by one obstacle after another, which a determined group of graduate assistants had to overcome. The most recent was that the date for the election was set for the week after the Thanksgiving break and following one of the heaviest work periods for graduate employees.

Nevertheless, "grads came out and overwhelmingly voiced how they feel," says Rosemary Braun, GEO co-president. Despite the years of focusing primarily on being able to hold an election, she adds, the issues mobilizing the employees have stayed the same. "We need better wages, healthcare, workloads and a voice in how decisions affecting us are made," Braun says.

She credits a large cast of activists in achieving the win. "There was tremendous dedication from the people still here and those who worked in years past knowing they wouldn't be here to see the fruits of their labor."

Many came back for the last week of the campaign. The final push to get out the vote brought back former GEO members and volunteers from AFT graduate employee locals both new and old. These included fellow graduate unionists from the University of Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Temple, Kansas, the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State.  [Barbara McKenna]

[December 5, 2002]