Unions give workers a seat at the decision-making table.
Take a seat and be heard!
Our union is only as strong as we make it. We are an extremely diverse group of workers, and want to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and represented in GEU.
Active participation is key! Here are some ways you can get involved:
Become a Union Steward for your Department
Stewards serve as the link between the broader membership and GEU leadership and are critical to building an active and involved union in our workplace. They help build a strong union presence in their department, provide information about union actions and events to their coworkers, and relay information about departmental issues to other GEU activists.
Join a Union Committee
Committees carry out the most important functions of GEU. Joining a committee is a great way to get involved and work with other graduate employees from across campus to strengthen GEU. All committees are open. Click the “Contact Us” tab to find emails for the committees.
Negotiations Committee The Negotiations Committee is composed of to two individual yet interconnected groups, as described below:
Bargaining Team When bargaining is ongoing, the Bargaining Team is responsible for engaging in negotiations during all bargaining sessions, scheduling bargaining meetings with administration,and all other activities directly related to bargaining. When bargaining is not ongoing, the Bargaining Team forms the Labor/Management committee and meets regularly with administration to discuss contract implementation issues.
Contract Action Team The objective of the Contract Action Team is to build a campaign to support contract negotiations. When negotiations are not ongoing, the Contract Action Team works as the Organizing Committee.
Communications Committee The Communications Committee maintains the GEU newsletter, website, and social media accounts. The Communications Committee is responsible for keeping members informed of all GEU activities, events, meetings, campaigns, and relevant news related to GEU.
Equity Committee The Equity Committee is committed to building an equitable union that is accessible to all and representative of the graduate employee population at Portland State University. The Equity Committee will serve as a resource for members and all graduate students at PSU to learn about issues related to labor and diversity, and may organize events or activities to this end.
Political Action Committee The Political Action Committee coordinates and encourages positive participation in political activity among GEU membership, and mobilizes civic engagement both within the University and in the wider local, state, and federal community. Members of this committee will track policy changes, ballot measures, legislation, and other political matters that could affect GEU, labor unions, graduate students, or higher education in general, and may recommend advocacy or political action on certain issues.
Social Engagement Committee The Social Engagement Committee organizes GEU social events and leads efforts to build a community among the graduate student community in pursuit of Community and Solidarity. This committee is also tasked with organizing GEU General Membership Meetings.
Grievance Committee A grievance is a formal complaint raised by an employee against the employer within the confines of the workplace. The Grievance Committee will determine the viability of grievances and track grievances in progress, and may support GEU members throughout the grievance process.