This week, grad workers went public about facing intimidation from the campus cops over their participation in an action in April. On May 21st, at 6:30pm, DPSS police officer John Buehler (#167) approached a grad student in their home and attempted to intimidate them, threatening to file a report with the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office about the picket action. The same officer emailed another grad student with similar information. Neither student spoke to or made any statements to DPSS. Both instances were about the April 20 picket of President Ono at a downtown restaurant. The Administration is attempting to sow fear; our strongest defense is our solidarity, our care for each other, and our collective non-cooperation with police. Know your rights and don’t talk to the cops; see for more.
On Thursday, grad workers joined workers from the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 174 on the picket lines in Bellville at the Constellium Plant. Workers there have been on strike since May 17th for better working conditions and workplace safety. Workers there, who supply parts for Ford, have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against their employers for bargaining in bad faith. UAW workers have shown an incredible amount of solidarity with grad workers at U-M, so it was nice to be able to return the favor.
Jared Eno, President
“Sending campus police as if they were President Ono’s private militia to threaten graduate students at their off- campus private homes is an act of intimidation. Admin seems to be capable of only one thing: bullying. They bullied department chairs and non-instructional staff into submitting fake grades, they tried to bully us to stop striking with a lawsuit and by docking our pay, and now they’re bullying students for exercising their first amendment rights. We will not be intimidated.”
Updates from the Bargaining Table
At bargaining on Wednesday, grad workers voted overwhelmingly to reject the so-called comprehensive package that U-M HR proposed earlier this month. This package contained little movement from HR’s prior positions, but consolidated the things they have already offered into a complete contract. HR’s raise offer for the first year of our contract has not changed since the start of the strike and remains below the rate of inflation – i.e., an effective pay-cut. Grad workers were able to reach tentative agreements on issues like access to gender-affirming care (laser hair removal) without preauthorization.
Bargaining by the Numbers
30 | minutes by which HR was late |
20 | minutes HR spent at the table |
0 | new proposals submitted by HR |
Audrey-Rose, Engineering
“I’m a non-binary person, and I continue to be frustrated that U-M advertises on their website that they maintain WPATH standards of trans healthcare and yet continues to fight us at the bargaining table as we attempt to move them to accept those standards of care, including accepting non-binary people as valid recipients. Despite that feedback they brought no proposals to fix those issues in their contract this week.”
Do Your Part: Join the Fight Against #bullshitgrades
Grads are fighting back against bullshit grades in a number of ways: data collection effort by grad workers, faculty, staff; pushing Regents for an independent investigation; hearings by Michigan legislature; complaints with accreditation agencies; getting statements of censure from campus groups (e.g., SACUA, AAUP, CSG); calling for a national boycott of UM; and increasing national media attention. Go to to be part of one or more of these!
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