The IFT represents more than 4,200 graduate employees at Illinois public universities. Graduate employees work as graduate assistants, research assistants and teaching assistants who provide a large percentage of classroom instruction to students and perform other critical academic and research functions on university campuses. Currently, the IFT represents graduate employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois – Chicago and the University of Illinois–Springfield, working to help them secure good contracts that provide fair pay, benefits and the professional respect graduate employees deserve.