http://chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0111290174nov29.story?co ll=chi%2Dnewslocal%2Dhed 11.29.01 Chicago Tribune U. of I. teaching assistants walk out By Stephanie Banchero, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporter Letitia Stein contributed to this report
Hundreds of graduate teaching assistants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign walked out of classes Wednesday, darkening classrooms across campus and leaving thousands of undergraduate students without teachers.
The work stoppage, which was to last through Thursday, is the most militant action yet by the graduate students who teach many of the university's courses and are seeking recognition by the administration as a bargaining unit.
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Their efforts toward increasing their recognition and compensation mirror a growing national movement.
As colleges and universities have depended more on non-faculty student teachers, the graduate assistants have demanded more recognition, more money and better health benefits. Strikes and work stoppages have become commonplace. Last year, 1,600 graduate assistants at the University of Washington walked out on the last day of classes with final exams left to grade.
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