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Grad worker pressure brings HR to the yard
In a huge win for graduate workers, HR showed up to the bargaining room after a week of GEO escalating action. Why AHR’s change of heart today?
Over 300 members emailed President Santa Ono, 30+ members attended the Regents’ Meeting on Thursday, and hundreds of allies signed a letter calling for open bargaining. GEO president Jared Eno announced our plan to file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) if HR refused to show up for bargaining in the room they reserved.
During today’s session, close to 200 members attended bargaining in the room and on Zoom. After discussion, we voted to end talks on ground rules with HR. Over the past seven weeks, HR has insisted on restrictive ground rules to keep members out of the bargaining room. For that very reason, AFT Counsel Mark Cousens and famed labor organizer Jane McAlevey argue against ground rules, which weaken our collective power. Ground rules are a permissive subject of bargaining and we cannot be compelled to discuss them.
“I am excited that we are moving forward beyond just talking about how many people will be allowed to participate in something that affects them and we’re actually talking about potential changes to the contract.”
-Kelsie, Middle East Studies
Members pass proposals after HR stalling tactic comically backfires
Even as we waited for HR to pass their counterproposal to our compensation demands, HR launched into a monologue, reading off lines from a contract. This went on for around 20 minutes, until a perplexed member of GEO’s Bargaining Team asked them what they were doing. Turns out HR was reading out our 2017 contract, mistaking it for our current contract! In spite of all these filibuster-style moves, GEO members were able to pass proposals on childcare, healthcare, trans health, reproductive rights, harassment & discrimination, as well as union rights.
“Hearing about the restrictions on all of the parents & caregiver benefits was shocking to me. Now is the time to fight for the same benefits that UMich peer institutions are giving their workers.”
-Reva, SEAS
What happens next week?
- HR refused to commit to attending bargaining in the room they reserved on December 16 (Palmer Commons, Great Lakes Room)
- Management was informed that if they do not show up we are prepared to file a ULP
- HR insisted on having a mediator at our bargaining session to talk about “logistics”
- On the agenda next week: proposals on IGSIs, workload, masking, abolition, MA students, grievance & disability
Your continued presence at bargaining sessions is crucial! Sign up to attend on December 16 at http://bit.ly/bargsesh.
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