Graduate Employees' Organizing Committee
Who We Are
GEOC was formed in 1998 when a group of graduate students at Wayne State University came together to fight for their health benefits that were about to be cut by the University. The union has since grown to 500+ members drawn from all departments on campus and reflects Wayne State's diverse population. All members of the steering committee and department stewards are volunteers who work to create a strong collective voice for our bargaining unit. Our staff organizers work nonstop to maintain our membership and help the union run smoothly.
Our Values
As a collective, GEOC members have created and passed the following values that we believe express the beliefs and principles that guide our work. View our complete values statement here.
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GEOC opposes every form of hatred, harassment, violence, intimidation, exclusion, explicit or implicit bias, and personal or structural oppression of marginalized groups, including but not limited to people of color, women, LGBTQ people, immigrants and non-U.S. citizens and their descendants, religious minorities and the nonreligious, disabled people, and people of low socioeconomic status. GEOC will stand in solidarity with affected people against perpetrators regardless of the entities or persons involved.
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GEOC supports the broad availability of health care, including all transition-related care, and opposes efforts to restrict the availability of sexual health information, contraceptives, and reproductive healthcare.
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GEOC opposes efforts to disenfranchise voters, to restrict the freedom of speech, of assembly, or of the press, to increase surveillance of individuals or organizations, or otherwise to compromise civil liberties or the functioning of a democratic society.
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GEOC supports the payment of a living wage to every worker in all forms of employment, regardless of responsibility, title, full-or-part-time status, citizenship, nation of origin, or documentation status.
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GEOC supports the right of all workers to adequate utilities and tools to do their job with efficiency, security, and safety.
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GEOC supports the right of all workers to ensure their working hours are respected. We oppose the exploitation of workers’ hours in any way.
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The GEOC supports the rights of workers to organize into unions, as well as other venues for collective power, to improve the situation of working people regardless of their occupation, nationality, or immigrant status.
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GEOC supports groups and actions organized in support of principles above, including efforts to ensure active support for these principles by Wayne State University or by other powerful institutions or individuals.
Bargaining Success: 2022 - 2025 GEOC Contract
Important Updates:
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Salary increases over three years, with the ending equivalent to $24,000
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Reduced pay gap between discipline tiers without lowering the pay of any tier.
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Increased pay parental leave from 6 weeks to 8 weeks.
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7 days paid leave in case of pregnancy loss
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Increased non-discrimination protections, and gender-neutral language in the contract.
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Easier Federal SEVIS Fee reimbursement for incoming grads Fall 2022 and beyond.
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Reimbursement of the fee for paying rent monthly in campus housing.
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Ongoing research into the causes of late pay, and the option to resume bargaining on that issue.
Work Rules
Development
The GEOC is working to implement and develop departmental work rules to contractually hold each department liable for safe working and ethical working conditions and practices across the campus.
We need your help to establish and build departmental work rules!
Reach out to us to find your individual work rules.