GEO Wins in Supreme Court

Today the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed that graduate employees in Illinois have the right to collective bargaining. The Supreme Court decision is the definitive ruling in the lengthy legal battle over whether graduate employees in Illinois have the right to unionize.

Today's decision marks a major victory in the GEO's struggle for union recognition.

The case will now be sent to the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board (IELRB). The IELRB will mediate a hearing process for determining which graduate employees will be included in the bargaining unit.* After unit determination, graduate employees will vote in a democratic union election.

In response to today's ruling, GEO co-president Kate Bullard commented, "This is a major victory for education in Illinois. When teachers and researchers have a voice in their working conditions they do their best work. We hope that the administration will start working with rather than against their graduate employees by moving efficiently through the hearing process."

This decision came on the GEO's Day of Solidarity, at which hundreds of undergraduates, graduates, and faculty rallied in support of graduate employees' right to collective bargaining.

Co-president Theresa Ferguson added, "At this point, the membership will have to decide where to go from here. We will continue to advocate for the rights of all graduate employees to bargain collectively with the University."

* The bargaining unit is the group of employees formally represented by the union in collective bargaining.

For more on the Appellate Court ruling that the Supreme Court upheld, click here.