Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization gathered to protest on the Diag Tuesday afternoon, directly in the path of the planned procession route for the inauguration of University President Santa Ono. The protest occurred the day after GEO announced the filing of an unfair labor practice charge against the University of Michigan.
During the protest, GEO members toted signs demanding a living wage for graduate workers and circled the block “M” at the center of the Diag. The protesters also shouted chants in support of GEO’s demands.
“Three percent won’t pay the rent,” the protestors chanted. “Cut tuition, not our wages.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, GEO president Jared Eno spoke on the ongoing contract negotiations between GEO and the University.
“HR has suggested that (graduate workers) take an effective pay cut,” Eno said. “The March 1 deadline for a tentative contract agreement has passed over the break, and HR does not seem to have taken that seriously. (Affording rent, housing and medication) are serious problems that grad workers need to work with the administration to solve and folks are fed up with a lack of serious engagement from HR at the negotiation table. That’s why folks are out here.”
Eno said GEO chose to protest on the Diag during the academic procession to maximize the visibility of their cause.
“Grad workers are not able to ignore not being able to pay for rent, food, medication,” Eno said. “And that means the folks in the University (can’t) ignore it either.”
LSA junior Connor Zahler told The Daily he thinks GEO chose an effective time and place to hold their protest and he supports their demands.
“I think (the protest is) an effective way to get attention on (GEO) and to get attention to their demands,” Zahler said. “I respect what they’re doing. I think that the demands are pretty understandable.”
University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen wrote in an email to The Daily that the University is committed to negotiating a fair contract and is awaiting a response from GEO about their compensation offer.
“The university remains committed to negotiating a strong, fair, and forward-looking contract agreement with our GSIs and GSSAs,” Broekhuizen wrote. “Our negotiators patiently await the union’s response to the compensation offer the university proposed nearly a month ago.”
During the installation ceremony following the procession, Paul Brown, chair of the U-M Board of Regents, remarked on the protests outside, saying the presence of both the GEO members and the Michigan Marching Band as the procession entered Hill Auditorium captured the essence of the University.
“When (the Regents) were walking in, Regent (Jordan) Acker turned to me and said ‘The Michigan Marching Band playing The Victors next to students protesting, if that isn’t Michigan, I don’t know what is,’” Brown said. “And it is. That was great, and that’s one of the things that makes this University so great.”
Daily Staff Reporter Miles Anderson can be reached at milesand@umich.edu.