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On Monday, grad workers took to the streets of Detroit alongside comrades from the Teamsters, UAW, and other allied organizations to celebrate International Workers Day. Workers gathered to hear speeches, poetry and music from dozens of comrades from across Southeast Michigan, reminding us that our struggles are deeply interconnected. GEO president Jared Eno spoke to the group: “We gather today to celebrate working people and the struggle for justice. President Ono talks a good game, about caring about people, about caring about students and workers. But when workers stand up for themselves and what they deserve, he suddenly changes his tune. Ono could change all of this today if he wanted to. The University makes over $400 million every year. That’s profit that workers produce! Bosses hide, they lie, they intimidate and retaliate because they are afraid. And they should be!” Afterward, the group marched through the streets of Detroit, chanting “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go” and “when workers rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
On Friday, workers gathered on North Campus for bargaining. Spirits among grads were high, bolstered further by a pizza lunch provided by Bernie Sanders himself. Various arts and crafts based activities throughout the day kept spirits lifted. The strike band played, and grads participated in a knit-in.
Update from the Bargaining Table
The two meetings graduate workers had with UM HR failed to produce results this week. Thursday’s meeting was facilitated by the state- appointed mediator. The two teams ran through every outstanding issue to determine what the root problems were. This exercise was meant to uncover any misunderstandings between the two teams that were getting in the way of an agreement. Instead, it made clear that grads understand the Administration’s position all too well: they simply ‘are not interested’ in moving on critical issues like the living wage, harassment protections, gender-affirming care, and an unarmed police alternative.
Friday’s negotiation session proved equally unfruitful. Despite grad workers offering movement on the size of the childcare subsidy in the last pass of this proposal, HR made no movement whatsoever on either the subsidy amount or abolishing the discriminatory eligibility requirements that prevent those who most need the subsidy from accessing it.
Garima, Romance Languages
“I was disappointed but hardly surprised to see HR fail to offer any movement on the childcare subsidy in response to the movement we offered last week. The power of our strike is the only thing that will get us the contract we deserve – not concessions at the table. If we’re going to win the things we need, we must keep fighting.”
Summer Funding Picket This Wednesday
Numerous grad workers who were promised summer funding under the Rackham plan have recently had that funding rescinded – something that wouldn’t be possible if the funding were guaranteed in our contract. Workers will hold a picket outside the LSA building on May 10, from 3-5pm, to demand the Rackham plan go in the contract, where it belongs! Sign up at
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