You are cordially invited to the 22nd annual Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions (CGEU) conference and the 9th annual Canadian Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions conference, hosted concurrently by United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America Local 896/Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS). This year’s conference will be held on the campus of the University of Iowa from August 1-4, 2013. The conference will begin in earnest Friday morning and wrap up by noon on Sunday.
The C/CGEU was formed to support the organization of new graduate student employee unions; to strengthen established unions; and to provide a forum for graduate employee unionists to meet, share information, and work together toward common goals. The annual conference features workshops on organizing, leadership development, negotiation strategies, and member mobilization.
We invite you to participate on panels and/or in workshops on a variety of subjects. Possible topics might include:
• Organizing in a Right-to-Work (for less) State: Examples and Strategies
• Fighting “Back Door Tuition”: Bargaining Against Increased Student Fees
• The Affordable Care Act: Anticipating Changes and Using Them to Your Advantage
• Effective Use of Social Media
• Higher Education and the Labor Movement: Where Do We Fit In?
• Developing New Leaders
• Building Coalitions On and Off Campus
• Political Action and Legislative Fightback: On ALEC and other Woes
• Strengthening Steward System/Training
You’ll find other options on the registration form, including panels on bargaining contexts. If you would like to propose a panel or workshop not listed above, there will be a space on the electronic registration form to do so. We look forward to your suggestions.
Please join us in Iowa City in August to meet unionists from throughout Canada and the United States. To register for the conference, please use the following link at the bottom of the page or click on the CGEU tab of our website, cogs.org. For a discounted registration rate of $45, please submit your registration by Monday, July 1, 2013. After that date, registration will increase to $50. Please be sure to bring your conference registration fee with you to the conference if you choose not to mail it in advance.
In Solidarity,
The CGEU 2013 Organizing Committee