The Graduate Employees’ Organization held a General Membership Meeting to begin a strike authorization vote on Nov. 4 at 5:30 at the University YMCA.

The vote is scheduled to run until Nov. 6.

The GEO is looking to secure a contract with the University that will set the minimum salary for a 50 percent nine-month appointment at the University’s own estimate of a living wage. It will also guarantee tuition waivers to teaching and graduate assistants and improve the assistants health and child care.

“We know from publicly available budget documents that the problem is not how much money there is in the budget, but where it is being spent, said Peter Campbell, GEO communications officer. “Instead of continuing to give substantial raises and severance packages to corrupt administrators, the UIUC administration should find a way to fairly compensate its lowest paid workers, including graduate employees and service workers, who do some of the University’s most important work.”

According to a GEO press release, one-fifth of all undergraduate course hours at UI are taught by GEO members.

“We’re committed to offering students the classes that they’ve registered for, and we’ll do our very best to deliver those services as promised,” said Robin Kaler, University spokeswoman.