Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions
Encyclopedia
The Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions consists of unions
representing graduate employees (also known as academic student employees or ASEs) at universities
in Canada
and the United States
. The coalition formed in 1992 and each year it organizes a yearly conference at which representatives from graduate employee unions come together to teach and learn from each other about organizing, negotiating contracts, tactics, and mobilization of members. At each conference the delegates spend part of one of the days on the picket line in solidarity with a group of striking workers in the city hosting the conference. In the period between conferences CGEU provides a forum for graduate employee unions to share information with each other, and maintains a website with information about graduate employee organizing.
The coalition is made up of locals from many different international unions, such as: the American Federation of Teachers
, the United Auto Workers
, the Communication Workers of America, UNITE HERE
, United Electrical Workers, National Education Association
, American Association of University Professors
, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees
, as well as some number of independent unions.
The 16th annual CGEU conference will take place in the summer of 2007 in Amherst, Massachusetts
and will be hosted by GEO/UAW.
The newest member of CGEU is Graduate Assistants United -- Southern Illinois University, Carbondale which won recognition on September 13, 2006.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing graduate employees (also known as academic student employees or ASEs) at universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The coalition formed in 1992 and each year it organizes a yearly conference at which representatives from graduate employee unions come together to teach and learn from each other about organizing, negotiating contracts, tactics, and mobilization of members. At each conference the delegates spend part of one of the days on the picket line in solidarity with a group of striking workers in the city hosting the conference. In the period between conferences CGEU provides a forum for graduate employee unions to share information with each other, and maintains a website with information about graduate employee organizing.
The coalition is made up of locals from many different international unions, such as: the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
, the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
, the Communication Workers of America, UNITE HERE
UNITE HERE
UNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with more than 265,000 active members The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries...
, United Electrical Workers, National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
, American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees
Canadian Union of Public Employees
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector - although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well...
, as well as some number of independent unions.
The 16th annual CGEU conference will take place in the summer of 2007 in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
and will be hosted by GEO/UAW.
The newest member of CGEU is Graduate Assistants United -- Southern Illinois University, Carbondale which won recognition on September 13, 2006.
See also
- National Labor Relations ActNational Labor Relations ActThe National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act , is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions , engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in...
- GESO - Graduate employee union at Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
- GSOCGraduate Student Organizing CommitteeThe Graduate Student Organizing Committee is a labor union representing graduate teaching and research assistants at New York University ....
- Graduate employee union at New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan... - GET-UP - Graduate employee union at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- Temple University Graduate Students AssociationTemple University Graduate Students AssociationThe Temple University Graduate Students Association is a graduate employee union at Temple University. The union won recognition on September 26, 2001 when the Temple board of trustees voted to recognize their union. The union ratified its first contract on May 18, 2002 and the Trustees voted to...
- CUPE 3902CUPE 3902CUPE 3902 is a labour union local representing sessional lecturers and teaching assistants at the University of Toronto, Canada.- History :...
- University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Education Workers Union
External links
- Official CGEU website
- Official CGEU wiki
- UAW Local 2865 - University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
academic student employee union - UAW Local 4123 - California State UniversityCalifornia State UniversityThe California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
academic student employee union - UAW Local 4121 - University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
academic student employee union - UAW Local 2322 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst academic student employee union
- CUPE Local 3902 - University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
sessional lecturer and teaching assistant union