ANN ARBOR, MI — On Wednesday October 14th, the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against the University of Michigan for issuing two politically motivated felony charges against GEO president, Hiab Teshome. Hiab was charged with embezzlement and false pretenses charges concerning purchases made by a student group she was a co-signer of. This pretextual and unprecedented legal assault was the University’s latest attempt to interfere with protected Union activities and the collective bargaining process.
In June 2026, so-called “progressive” Washtenaw County Prosecutor and Michigan Attorney General candidate Eli Savit took up the University of Michigan Police Department’s (UMPD) request for felony charges against Hiab. The UMPD have historically violently repressed labor and the Palestine solidarity movement. The arrest warrant and charges were brought forth through a collaboration between Savit, UMPD’s Sergeant Ryan Cavanaugh, and the Center for Campus Involvement (CCI), particularly CCI director Nick Smith. Cavanaugh and UMPD have directly harassed and attempted to intimidate Hiab, including an attempt to visit her prior address. On August 6th, all charges were dismissed by Judge Cedric Simpson.
In addition, UMPD unilaterally usurped the prosecutor’s office and filed to the magistrate judge requests for additional bond conditions against Hiab including attempting to ban her from campus and successfully banning her from the Ruthven Building due to it being the location of the Regent’s offices. The Regents set major University policy and have targeted individuals in the labor and pro-Palestine movement.
The University’s decision to involve law enforcement over alleged misconduct in a student organization is unprecedented and directly contradicts the University’s student organization accountability processes, which explicitly deem criminalization inappropriate. The Central Student Government (CGS), which typically oversees student organizations, released a statement affirming the inappropriate use of the legal system against individuals in their capacity as members of a student organization. The University never engaged in their own internal process and never contacted Hiab until she was being investigated by Cavanaugh and still have not contacted her.
The University of Michigan initiated legal processes against its own policies in an attempt to interfere, restrain, and coerce the elected president of GEO from her rights as a public employee and to deprive the Union of the right to select its own bargaining agents. As such, GEO maintains that the University has violated the Public Employment Relations Act and we are demanding accountability.
It is abundantly clear that, if not for Hiab’s protected union activity, the University of Michigan would never have sought the issuance of such meritless charges. These charges were an attempt to limit Hiab from appearing as a bargaining representative and to restrict her rights as a public employee.
The University used the threat of criminal proceedings to try to silence and intimidate not just a Union member, but our entire Union. GEO will not stand for any attempts by the University of Michigan and its collaborators in the legal system to repress Palestine solidarity or labor organizing. We affirm our commitment to workers at the University of Michigan and will continue to fight for just labor conditions for all workers.
Representatives are available for interviews with the press to talk about the Unfair Labor Practice and GEO’s ongoing contract negotiations with U-M.
Contact: commchair@geo3550.org