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Meister Lauds Tentative Strike Agreement at UIUC
November 18, 2009
Jacob Meister, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, commended members of the Graduate Employee Organization and the administration of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Wednesday, for reaching a tentative agreement with concern to the latest dispute over the security of tuition waivers.
“This is a win-win for everyone involved,” Meister said. “I congratulate the graduate employees for standing together to win the contract they deserve, and I congratulate the UIUC officials who recognized that tuition waivers are both critical to ensuring the quality of education at the university and critical to guaranteeing accessibility and fairness for current and prospective graduate students.”
Tuition waivers allow graduate and teaching assistants to attend the school at reduced or no cost. Members of the Graduate Employees Organization, American Federation of Teachers/Illinois Federation of Teachers Local 6300, AFL-CIO, came off the picket line early Tuesday, reaching an agreement with administration officials and approving that agreement Tuesday night.
“The best part of this agreement is that the students get their teachers back,” Meister said. “Both parties never lost sight of what is truly important, the education of their students. I commend the faculty and administration for coming to an equitable agreement so quickly.”
