News
On Wednesday, December 6th, the Graduate Employee Organization will host a grade-in to protest recent cuts in graduate employee health care. From 1:30pm-5:30pm, members of the Graduate Employee Organization and other graduate students will gather in Bryan Hall with their grading, research, and student conferences to demonstrate to Indiana University both the extent of their labor for the University as well as the University's reliance upon that labor. Despite the many ways in which graduate employees enable the continued functioning of Indiana University, the University administration has failed to adequately compensate and care for these employees, leaving graduate employees with minimal incomes to shoulder the brunt of health care costs.
This year, Indiana University cut 50% of the maximum health care benefits for Student Academic Appointees and increased health care costs across the board for graduate employees and their dependents. Additionally, Indiana University remains one of the few Big 10 Universities that do not provide their graduate employees with dental care. Since 2004, the GEO has been agitating for more equitable compensation, including better health care, dental coverage and dependent coverage, for all Indiana University graduate employees. "Graduate employees deserve adequate, affordable health care as compensation for the work that they do for the university," said Ursula McTaggart, GEO coordinator; "As IU administrators walk past these graduate employees diligently supporting the university in the halls and outside the offices of the administration building, we hope that they will gain a better understanding of the effort put forth by these employees on behalf of the university, and will see that better efforts are required on their part to adequately support these employees."
Visit the GEO Store
New apparel such as t-shirts and other accessories are available through our CAFE PRESS STORE. Express your solidarity and support the GEO by buying a T-shirt today.
BREAKING NEWS:
GEO recognizes the GPSO Resolution 06-B, Statement for University Insurance Equity, as a first step toward better working conditions, improved health and dental benefits, and recognition of our status as employees.