In November 2022, the Graduate Employees’ Organization and the University of Michigan began negotiating a new contract for Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student Staff Assistants. Negotiations continued through the school year with no resolution, eventually leading GEO to go on strike March 27. The strike continued throughout the majority of summer before coming to an end on Aug. 25 when the union finally reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with the University.
Though a lot happened between March 27 and Aug. 25, The Michigan Daily is here to catch Wolverines up on all the labor negotiation details. Here’s what the campus community might have missed from the GEO strike this summer.
April
April 20: 2 GEO protesters detained
GEO held a picket outside a restaurant where University President Santa Ono was dining. As Ono was leaving the restaurant, picketers blocked his car and the University’s Division of Public Safety and Security arrived shortly afterward. Two protesters from the picket were detained and released several minutes later by DPSS.
April 21: UMich withholds pay from striking GSIs
University administration announced they would withhold pay from striking GSIs and GSSAs for the month of April. This decision came after a state judge ruled GEO’s strike was in violation of their contract. In an email to GSIs obtained by The Daily, the University said it plans to require GSIs to fill out and validate a work attestation form if they want to be compensated for their April work.
Amir Fleischmann, GEO contract committee chair, wrote in a press release that GEO believes the University withholding pay is a strikebreaking tactic.
“This is only the latest in a series of underhanded strikebreaking tactics that (the University) has used to try to circumvent the bargaining process and impose an unfair contract on some of its lowest paid workers,” Fleischmann wrote.
April 30: GEO strike continues but UMich grading plan remains up in the air
As the GEO strike entered its fifth week, the grading plan for the University was in a state of unrest. GEO leadership agreed to make a non-binding suggestion to its members to submit all grades from before the strike. GEO had originally planned to withhold all grades until the end of contract negotiations. In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said though the deadline to submit grades will be extended, there would still likely be some delays.
“There may be delays in some cases, but our faculty are committed to accurately assessing students’ work and ensuring grades are processed,” Broekhuizen said. “The Registrar’s Office has extended the deadline to submit grades from 72 to 96 hours after the final exam for courses impacted by the strike. It is the expectation that faculty members meet those deadlines.”
May
May 17: UMich announces a plan to input grades for striking GSIs
The University created a plan to work with departments and faculty to enter missing grades from the ongoing GEO strike, despite concerns from GEO that the plan violates the principles of academic integrity. GEO expressed concerns over the validity of the entered grades, arguing they may not reflect students’ work from the winter semester. The University said it is working to ensure all grades accurately reflect students’ work from the semester.
May 23: GEO speaks to CSG about UMich inputting grades amid strike
The University’s Central Student Government hosted GEO President Jared Eno to express the union’s disapproval of the University inputting grades in the absence of the striking graduate student workers. Eno said GEO believes the University committed academic misconduct by inaccurately entering grades for students. Following the presentation, LSA senior Jarek Schmanski said he would draft a resolution to reaffirm CSG’s support for GEO.
May 31: Doctorate of Musical Arts students express frustration with their exclusion from the Rackham Plan
The University announced and implemented the Rackham Summer Funding Plan, which included year-round stipends in the funding packages for Ph.D. students. The funding packages are several-year compensation packages, typically including a stipend, tuition and healthcare, that the University offers to new Ph.D. students. Notably left out of the Rackham Plan are Doctorate of Musical Arts students. D.M.A. students who felt their work is equivalent albeit somewhat different to a Ph.D. student’s expressed frustration with their exclusion from the Rackham Plan.
June
June 8: UMich and GEO reach settlement on Unfair Labor Practices and lawsuit
The University and GEO reached a settlement on the Unfair Labor Practices each party filed with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. Both parties agreed to drop the ULPs with prejudice, meaning they are permanently dismissed. Additionally, the University dropped its lawsuit against GEO for financial damages caused during the winter semester strike. The University still retains the ability to refile a damages lawsuit. Evelyn Smith, GEO’s lead contract negotiator, said while GEO does believe the University violated labor laws, the settlement creates an opportunity for the parties to reach an agreement.
“While we remain adamant that (the) administration’s actions throughout this bargaining process represent clear and unacceptable violations of state labor law, this settlement means that our bargaining team — made up exclusively of graduate workers with full-time jobs — will be able to focus this summer on negotiating a great contract for our members,” Smith said. “It’s time for the administration to get serious about these negotiations and give graduate workers an offer that meets our needs.”
June 14: UMich under review from the Higher Learning Commission
The University went under review from its accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, following a complaint filed by GEO that alleged the University falsified grades for undergraduate students while graduate student workers were on strike. In an email to GEO obtained by The Daily, the HLC wrote the complaint warrants an investigation and has the ability to lead to consequences for the University.
“Upon initial review of (GEO’s) complaint, HLC determined that the matter regarding University of Michigan raises potential concerns regarding the institution’s compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation,” the HLC wrote. “Due to these potential concerns, HLC will conduct a further review of the institution based on (GEO’s) complaint … HLC will review the institution’s response to determine what action, if any, is needed based on the evidence.”
June 27: GEO holds a protest following Stephenson harassment allegations
GEO convened outside the University’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office to protest ECRT’s alleged mishandling of reports of sexual misconduct and the University’s refusal to bargain on this topic. The protest occurred in response to the University allegedly denying responsibility for the multiple sexual misconduct and abuse allegations against Robert Stephenson, former School of Nursing professor, during a contract bargaining session.
July
July 28: HLC investigation finds no substantive noncompliance by UMich
The HLC investigation into the alleged falsifying of grades by the University during the winter 2023 semester finds no substantive noncompliance by the University. The HLC’s findings mean the investigation will cease and the University will not face any punitive actions from the HLC.
August
August 2: GEO announces they will respond to UMich contract proposal by Aug. 10
The University offered GEO its fifth contract proposal, which included a signed promise to continue the Rackham Plan through 2026. The proposal was offered on Aug. 2 and had an expiration of Aug. 4 at 4:59 p.m. GEO voted to respond to the offer by Aug. 10. Eno said the decision to respond on Aug. 10 gives the union enough time to discuss the offer and fulfill the democratic processes of the union.
“We will be reaching out to Academic HR to schedule several bargaining sessions next week so that we can clarify the contents of your offer,” Eno said. “We understand that time is of the essence; our collective view is that this timeline best balances our commitment to democratic process with the need to move expeditiously.”
August 20: UMich offers a “last, best and final” contract to GEO
Following nine months of negotiations between the University and GEO, the University offered its “last, best and final offer” to GEO. The University did not wish to continue negotiations beyond this offer. The offer has many concessions that GEO sought throughout the negotiation process, including compensation increases, expanded gender-affirming care benefits, lower out-of-pocket maximums for mental healthcare and physical therapy, and many others. The offer also includes a written promise by the University to continue the Rackham Summer Funding Program through 2026 and an agreement that President Ono will make a statement in support of an unarmed crisis response team. Eno said this offer is a significant step in nearing the end of negotiations, but it is up to the union members to decide how to proceed.
“Graduate workers have taken big risks and endured significant hardship to stand up for each other, and now the Administration has agreed to many proposals that it previously claimed were infeasible or even impossible,” Eno wrote. “At the same time, the Administration stubbornly refuses to implement key proposals that would make a huge difference to many grad workers while costing the University little to nothing. The bedrock of this campaign has been solidarity, and grad workers will decide together how to proceed.”
August 25: GEO officially accepts UMich contract offer and ends the strike
GEO officially voted to authorize and accept the contract offer from the University, thereby ending the nearly five-month-long strike. The new contract includes significant gains for GEO, but they maintain that there is still work to be done.
In a post following the ratification vote, GEO said the salary provision marks the largest raise in the organization’s history, but does not ensure equity across all three U-M campuses.
“We fought tooth-and-nail over 10 months of bargaining and 5 months of strike action, forcing U-M to grant the largest salary increase in GEO history,” the post reads. “However, U-M refused to ensure pay parity across all 3 campuses. This battle is over, but the fight goes on!”
University Spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald wrote in an email to The Daily that the University is joyful to reach an agreement and begin the new academic year on good footing.
“Ratification of this new three-year contract will help to assure a smooth start to the new academic year next week,” Fitzgerald wrote.
Daily Staff Reporter Miles Anderson can be reached at milesand@umich.edu.