22 Oct Virtual Member Meeting Nov. 18
- Membership Meeting: Save the date for our 11/18 Remote Membership Meeting, 3-4pm. A zoom link will be sent to members closer to the meeting date.
- Workload Survey: Don’t forget to fill out our 5-question workload survey! We’ve already received great feedback about how workloads are changing due to remote work, and your response will help us advocate for better faculty conditions moving forward.
- Comment on Visa Rules: You still have 4 days to comment on the draconian visa restrictions proposed by DHS. You can learn more about the visa restrictions and how to comment from our previous post on the subject.
- VOTE!: Voting is underway, so make a voting plan if you haven’t already, and vote “YES” on a Fair Tax. We covered the Fair Tax, including exact legislative language, in a previous post.
Dear UICUF Members,
Our Fall Membership Meeting will be held remotely via Zoom, from 3-4pm on November 18th, and will be immediately followed by a meeting of our Representative Assembly, the elected voting legislative body of our union. At the Membership Meeting we will discuss ongoing impact bargaining, findings of our workload study, and other contemporary issues. All members are encouraged to participate in the member meeting, and stay for the Assembly session afterwards. All union meetings are always open to all members.
Workload Survey
We’ve already received 200 responses and need your input to get a clearer picture of how workloads and working conditions are changing due to COVID and remote learning. This will inform our ongoing impact bargaining over pandemic-related issues, and it’s only 5 questions, so please take a moment to fill it out. See link in the bullets above to take the survey. Results will be shared in future communications and at the upcoming membership meeting.
Visa Rule Public Comments
As we discussed last week, our international students may suffer considerable setbacks in pursuing their degrees if the newly proposed visa rules from DHS take effect. Students are likely to experience interruptions in their visa eligibility, and some may effectively be forced out of their programs entirely. Among the worst effects, students will be limited to 4- or even 2-year visas, despite at least a quarter of undergrads, and a majority of PhD students taking more than 4 years to complete a degree. See the link in the bullets above to learn more and make your public comment.
Voting
The vast majority of our members vote regularly, but in an election year where every vote counts, we feel it’s our duty to remind you to get to the polls one way or another. You can easily find information about polling places and/or mail-in voting via the Illinois State Government website.
And of course, it’s no secret that we have endorsed the Fair Tax. You can find our extensive coverage, including exact legislative language, in the link posted in the bullets above. In short, a “YES” vote for a Fair Tax will produce billions in needed state revenues, while reducing taxes on virtually all of our members and on the vast majority of Illinois tax-payers. Speculation that it will open the door to other types of tax hikes, including taxing retirement income, are unfounded. Retirement income is protected in state law, and the Fair Tax does nothing to change that.
Solidarity,
UIC United Faculty
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