Click here for a printable PDF version of this bulletin.
HR suggests victims should solve harassment crisis
HR continued to argue that GEO’s proposal to expand LSA’s existing no-questions-asked transitional funding program (TFP) — which provides a semester of funding for grads to help them leave abusive situations — would somehow enable abuse. HR suggested that because the TFP would not require a formal report, U-M would not be able to hold abusers accountable. But as LSA has already recognized, formal reporting processes can be time-consuming and retraumatizing, and often delay or deny victims access to the resources they need. Furthermore, U-M has enabled abusers even after formal reports were made, as the cases of Martin Philbert and Robert Anderson make painfully clear. And as bargaining team member Rhiannon Willow powerfully stated, U-M should not make victims responsible for holding abusers accountable. Meanwhile, HR was silent about GEO’s proposal for regular, anonymous surveys, designed precisely to identify where abuse is happening.
“I don’t think ECRT has the ability to understand the abuse I went through.”
– Rhiannon, Physics
| GEO Proposal | U-M Counter |
| Expanding Childcare Subsidy amount & eligibilty | No |
| Paid leave for school closures | No |
| Visa-compliant IGSI work limit | No |
| Reimburse Immigration Fees | No |
| IGSI Emergency Fund | No |
| Common application & website for GSI positions | No |
| Notice within 5 days if a position is filled | Notice w/in 4 weeks |
| Reproductive Health Fund | No |
| Reproductive Leave | No |
| Bulletin boards & contract printing | Tentative Agreement |
HR’s Limited Vocabulary: No
HR flatly rejected a broad slate of common-sense proposals intended to support graduate parents, international workers, and Masters students. Alarmingly, HR claimed the current childcare subsidy “works well,” while dismissing the enduring impact COVID-19 has had on the capacity of licensed childcare centers and the affordability of care. The truth is that the current subsidy isn’t working — grads can be denied access if they receive a Rackham Merit Fellowship, if their spouse is unemployed and looking for work, or if they can only afford part-time care. Parents have had to take on debt and second jobs, or even take leave from their graduate programs, because of these barriers to access. But as HR expressed on Friday, that isn’t their problem to solve.
“There’s nothing like holding your sick 3.5 month old while listening to HR reject every proposal that would give student parents the time and capacity to care for their children.”
– Alice, American Culture
HR simply does not listen when confronted with clear evidence of the problems graduate workers are facing. Clever negotiating tactics aren’t enough. If you want a contract that meets your needs, you need to fight for it. Come to bargaining, share your voice in the bargaining room, and talk to your colleagues about our campaign. What steps will you take this week to win this fight?
Take action by participating in the from February 6 to 10!
Comments are closed