Graduate Employee Organization UMass Boston

Graduate Employee Organization UMass Boston We ARE the graduate assistants at UMass Boston! Find us at geoumb.org, email [email protected]

The GEO at UMass Boston has been instrumental in advocating for graduate assistants. Since our inception we have successfully:

-Secured over a 50% increase in our stipends since our first contract
-Guaranteed Tuition and Fee Waivers (we had no fee waiver before our first contract)
-Secured an 85% subsidy for the Student Health Insurance Plan (we had no coverage before our first contract)
-Secured

an 18-hour full-time work week for full-time assistants
-Received funding for our Scholarly Support Fund for grad assistants to attend academic conferences.
-Secured employee status and related legal protections for grad assistants.
-Ensured the opportunity for grad assistants to have the option for pre-tax parking and public transportation passes.
-Ensured Grad Assistants receive free access to proprietary software through the university. In the 2013-2014 academic year, we took on some new projects:

- Wrote, edited and printed two issues of the Graduate Advocate featuring 15 articles about grad assistant pay, UMass parking and national labor issues
- Hosted 6 documentary film screenings on campus in our Radical Thoughts Film Series
- Hosted 3 successful parties for grad students and members to meet
- Worked with the Office of Graduate Studies to create a plan for addressing late grad assistant pay including new orientation protocol and greater accountability
- Collaborated with members to resolve several grievances
- Test piloted a department "meet and greet" model to meet our members and hear about grad assistant issues
- Organized a UMass-wide GEO meetup for sharing ideas
- Attended the Greater Boston Labor Council's "Future's Committee" training session
- Awarded $6,000 in Scholarly Support Funds
- Entered into bargaining for a new contract for 2014

Join us in solidarity for affordable and accessible parking and transportation on April 15 (Tax Day!) from 1:45pm-2:30pm...
04/13/2026

Join us in solidarity for affordable and accessible parking and transportation on April 15 (Tax Day!) from 1:45pm-2:30pm in ISC. DM us for more info

All-Membership Meeting And Party!Join us on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 12: 30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in ISC Room 1200. ...
03/07/2026

All-Membership Meeting And Party!

Join us on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 12: 30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in ISC Room 1200. If you cannot make it in-person, join us via ZOOM from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm. SAME DAY.
On the agenda: Pizza, drinks, information about what the union has been up to, and an opportunity to meet the candidates in the Organizing Committee elections. You can see the flyer below!

Will you be joining us for our Spring 2026 All-Membership Meeting and Party? See the flyer for the details of time and p...
03/04/2026

Will you be joining us for our Spring 2026 All-Membership Meeting and Party? See the flyer for the details of time and place. Lunch and drinks on us!

Hey UMB Grads and Community, we are hosting Fall's All-Membership meeting on December 2nd at 12:00pm in ISC 4300. Please...
11/26/2025

Hey UMB Grads and Community, we are hosting Fall's All-Membership meeting on December 2nd at 12:00pm in ISC 4300. Please join us for and to learn what the union has been up to and to meet the new members of the organizing team. This is also a great opportunity to network and meet fellow grad students from other departments. See you there! https://geoumb.org

Happy New Week, UMB Grads and Community. The Ratification results are out! We are pleased to share that the membership r...
06/23/2025

Happy New Week, UMB Grads and Community. The Ratification results are out! We are pleased to share that the membership ratified the 2024-2027 contract with nearly 98% approval.

Link to find summary of contract gains: https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing, and the deadline is TONIGHT! Have you voted yet? Link to VOTE: https:/...
06/18/2025

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing, and the deadline is TONIGHT! Have you voted yet?

Link to VOTE: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB/ You can also visit https://secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot/ and enter "W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB".

Link to find summary of contract gains: https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

Remember: Ratification is the process by which you, members in good standing with the union, vote to approve the changes negotiated between the Union Bargaining Committee and the University.

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing. Have you voted yet? VOTE Here: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/W4HM-P...
06/17/2025

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing. Have you voted yet? VOTE Here: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB/

The increase in the Scholarly Support Funds (SSF) and Emergency Support Fund (ESF) is one of our major financial gains. SSF provides financial support to dues-paying GEO members who attend and/or present posters, papers (written work), or talks at academic and professional conferences, while ESF helps offset costs related to unforeseen personal emergencies for GEO members.

Find the summary of the 2024-27 gains here https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing. Have you voted yet? One of the biggest gains is the increase in annual...
06/16/2025

The 2024-27 GEO Contract Ratification is ongoing. Have you voted yet?

One of the biggest gains is the increase in annual stipends. Annual stipends will increase by 25% over three years, with raises of 11% (2024–2025), 7%(2025–2026), and 7% (2026–2027). This means full-time GAs will receive up to $2,000 in retro pay.

Read more about all the gains here: https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

VOTE Here: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB/
Or copy and paste the link into your web browser.
You can also visit https://secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot/ and enter "W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB"

Additionally, we have an info session for Q&A tomorrow at 3:00 pm, via zoom. Link TBA.

Good morning UMB Grads and Community. We are happy to share that the RATIFICATION of the 2024-27 contract has begun. Lin...
06/16/2025

Good morning UMB Grads and Community. We are happy to share that the RATIFICATION of the 2024-27 contract has begun.

Link to VOTE: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB/ You can also visit https://secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot/ and enter "W4HM-PM8D-JV8L-JWQB".
Link to find summary of contract gains: https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

Remember: Ratification is the process by which you, members in good standing with the union, vote to approve the changes negotiated between the Union Bargaining Committee and the University.

Additionally, we have an info session for Q&A tomorrow at 3:00 pm, via zoom. Link TBA.

Dear UMB grads & community, we are thrilled to share with you all that we have reached a tentative agreement with the Un...
06/16/2025

Dear UMB grads & community, we are thrilled to share with you all that we have reached a tentative agreement with the University for the 2024-27 contract! Ratification to follow next week. Check out the infographic below for the summary of gains. Alternatively, see a summary of our contract gains here https://geoumb.org/gains-summary-2024-27-contract/

Elections for one position in the GEO organizing committee are in progress. To learn more about the process and who's ru...
02/20/2025

Elections for one position in the GEO organizing committee are in progress. To learn more about the process and who's running, visit our website:

Check out the nominees for the GEO Spring 2025 Elections –> HERE. Spring 2025 GEO Election Guidelines  The Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) is holding elections to fill one assist…

01/27/2025

Dear GEO members. Welcome to the Spring 2025 semester! Applications for the Scholarly Support Fund (SSF) will open on Monday, February 10, at 8 am EST. If you attended a conference during the Winter, or plan to attend one in the Spring (1/6-5/26), or if you incurred scholarly expenses in the last four months (on or after October 1, 2024), it’s time to prepare to apply for SSF funding. Remember, SSF is a first-come-first-serve grant, so you will want to be ready. Also, you can apply for non-conference-related expenses. Please read the SSF guidelines carefully before applying! (geoumb.org/scholarly-support-fund/)

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100 Morrissey Boulevard
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