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Grads started the day bright and early on Thursday, joining forces with labor siblings from the building trades to shut down the billion dollar Michigan Medicine pavilion construction site. Together, workers again showed the administration that we have the power to stop business as usual, and will do so until we win the contract we deserve. Allies from the nurses union brought cookies and an important reminder: as we fight for our own contract, we also set an important precedent for other unions around the university. The administration can’t intimidate any of us out of the fair contract we know we deserve.
Just hours later, in one of UM’s most cowardly strikebreaking tactics yet, the administration moved to withhold April pay from all workers who refused to fill out attestation forms. They withheld pay from striking and non- striking students alike, clearly violating our contract and proving once again that management only respects legal and contractual obligations when they stand to gain. We knew this could happen, and are prepared to support each other. We have a hardship fund and a plan to disburse it based on need, approved by hundreds of GEO members at yesterday’s General Membership Meeting.
From Grace, Law, “It’s cowardly that the University would withhold pay from hardworking grads, too many of whom already live paycheck to paycheck because the university refuses to pay a living wage. Now is the time to stand in solidarity with our coworkers who are struggling. As a GEO member who does not rely on a GSI salary, I’m donating $200 to our strike fund – the amount I would be paying union dues this semester. I strongly encourage other grads with independent funding to do the same: https://givebutter.com/GEOStrikeFund“
Rally for Abolition on the Diag
Yesterday, President Ono deployed more than 20 cops to surround striking grad workers at the Rackham graduate school. Today, workers, organizers and allies from across the community rallied in support of our abolition proposals, and against cop city in Georgia and Michigan’s own camp grayling, a huge training site for police departments, prisons and private military contractors.
Alejo, Romance Languages
We are on strike for affordability, but we’re also on strike for abolition. We are on strike to undermine the hold that the prisons, police and prosecutors of the carceral state have on our lives. That means funding an unarmed, nonpolice, emergency response force for our entire community. It means immigration protections, to make sure ICE has warrants before they enter our building, and funding transformative justice research positions. We need to fund safety, not cops!
Sign Up to Picket the Last Week of Term
As the semester draws to a close, it’s critical that grads continue to make our strike visible by picketing on Central & North campuses. With beautiful weather and many opportunities to make a big impact, this week won’t be one to miss! You can sign up for picket shifts at . Bring your colleagues!
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