HOUSING STAFF UNITED
University of Illinois - Chicago
A union of undergraduate housing workers
in Illinois
Housing Staff United (HSU) is a grassroots union movement of undergraduate housing employees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) that has been organizing since 2023 to advocate for improved workplace conditions.
UIC’s Campus Housing boards over 3,800 students, providing them with academic opportunities, support, and community services that improve their educational experiences and outcomes. These programs are only possible through the labor of student staff members in Campus Housing. HSU has organized Resident Assistants, Peer Mentors, Leadership Assistants, and Desk Staff into one union with OPEIU Local 39.
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FAQs
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A union is a group of workers who come together to bargain over important aspects of their employment like wages, benefits, and other working conditions. Unions allow workers to meet with management on a level playing field in order to make their workplace more fair and transparent. The right for unions to bargain is protected by US law, and employees who are in the process of forming a union are too.
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Sign a union authorization card. Worker organizers will make sure to add you to union communication channels. Please let us know if you would like to be part of the Organizing Committee (OC) to be more involved with union organizing!
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Public education employees in Illinois are governed by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act:
“It shall be lawful for educational employees to organize, form, join, or assist in employee organizations or engage in lawful concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection or bargain collectively through representatives of their own free choice…
(a) Educational employers, their agents or representatives are prohibited from:
(1) Interfering, restraining or coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed under this Act.(2) Dominating or interfering with the formation, existence or administration of any employee organization.
(3) Discriminating in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any employee organization.
(4) Discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee because he or she has signed or filed an affidavit, authorization card, petition or complaint or given any information or testimony under this Act.”
You also have the right to talk about the union at work when other non-work related talk is allowed or during non-work times such as breaks, meal times, or before or after work. It is against the law for your employer to ask you about your union activity or to threaten, harass, fire, discipline or discriminate against you because of union activity. When workers organize with OPEIU they can depend on support and back up if needed.
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Yes! Please get in touch with OPEIU Local 39 by filling out this form or contacting Evan McKenzie https://opeiu39.org/contact