Bargaining News

  • Negotiation Bulletin #22: Striking Works: HR Moves on Harassment

    Negotiation Bulletin #22: Striking Works: HR Moves on Harassment

    On Thursday, grads entered the second week of our strike with pickets across central and north campus. Meanwhile, our community continued to have our backs. In an open letter joined by 55 professors and lecturers, UM Law faculty condemned the University’s attempt to use the courts to break our strike. Professor Sanjukta Paul reminded readers…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #21: 93% of Grad Workers Vote to Extend Strike

    Negotiation Bulletin #21: 93% of Grad Workers Vote to Extend Strike

    On Wednesday, members voted overwhelmingly to continue striking until we get real movement from HR. Gathered in Angell Auditorium and on zoom, grads agreed: we have the power to win a fair contract if we stick together. Ariana, a grad in Environmental Health Sciences said, “the first week of this strike showed that we have…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #20: Victory: Judge Denies UM’s Restraining Order

    Negotiation Bulletin #20: Victory: Judge Denies UM’s Restraining Order

    Hundreds of grad workers and their allies rallied in the rain this morning ahead of the court hearing. Clad in purple GEO ponchos, workers sheltered under Hatcher Library before marching to the courthouse. Grads heard speakers from the Payments for Placements campaign demanding a $20/hr minimum wage for the unpaid 900 hour internships required of…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #19: Faculty Rally to Support Grad Workers

    Negotiation Bulletin #19: Faculty Rally to Support Grad Workers

    Hundreds of grad workers and allies turned out on Monday morning to kick off a second week on strike. Carrying signs that read ‘faculty support student workers,’ the group marched in solidarity from the Diag to Ruthven, then on to Rackham, showing the University that all workers on this campus stand together. Meanwhile, grad workers…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #18: On the Lines & at the Table, Grads Fight On

    Negotiation Bulletin #18: On the Lines & at the Table, Grads Fight On

    On Friday, grad workers again showed up in force to demand a contract that protects all workers. Picketing across central campus, grad workers were undeterred by bad weather and university intimidation. GEO member and anthropology grad Irene said, ‘Filing for an injunction day one of the strike is a disappointing escalation, but we were always…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #17: Grads on North Campus Unfazed by Injunction

    Negotiation Bulletin #17: Grads on North Campus Unfazed by Injunction

    Hundreds of grads rallied on North Campus today, continuing the fight for dignity and affordability for each and every worker. Facing indifference and intimidation from the University, grads remained united. The conditions North Campus grads face are a stark reminder of urgency of our demands. For example, grads in the School of Music Theatre and…

  • U of M Graduate Workers Go on Strike

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News from Graduate Employees Organization 3550  March 28, 2023 ANN ARBOR – Graduate students workers with Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT Michigan 3550, AFL-CIO at the University of Michigan called a strike Monday evening. The decision to strike is the culmination of five months of negotiations in which the University stonewalled graduate workers…

  • PRESS RELEASE: GEO Members vote to strike

    GEO members have voted overwhelmingly to strike, with 95% voting in favor of a work stoppage. After four months of being stonewalled at the bargaining table by the University of Michigan, Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization AFT Local 3550 sent a clear message to the administration: We are serious about winning a living wage,…

  • GEO Members Overwhelmingly Vote to Initiate Strike Authorization Process

    Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) AFT Local 3550 held a General Membership Meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023 and voted to initiate the strike authorization process.  In a nearly unanimous decision, members voted overwhelmingly to begin the strike authorization process, taking GEO one step closer to striking. Of the approximately 750 members in…

  • GEO Members Overwhelmingly Vote to Initiate Strike Authorization Process

    Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) AFT Local 3550 held a General Membership Meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023 and voted to initiate the strike authorization process. In a nearly unanimous decision, members voted overwhelmingly to begin the strike authorization process, taking GEO one step closer to striking. Of the approximately 750 members in…

  • Negotiation Bulletin #13: Grad Workers Back from Break with a Bang

    Negotiation Bulletin #13: Grad Workers Back from Break with a Bang

    On March 7, nearly 100 grads and undergrad allies took the streets during President Ono’s inauguration to protest the University’s lack of serious counters. The action came hot on the heels of grads filing Unfair Labor Practice charges against the University for bargaining in bad faith. This pattern continued on Friday, as HR called a…

  • Press Release: GEO Files Charges Against U-M’s Unlawful Conduct as University Disregards Contractual Deadline

    Following a Winter recess during which a contractual deadline for a tentative agreement passed, the Graduate Employees’ Organization (AFT-MI Local 3550) has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against the University of Michigan for failing to bargain in good faith. The University has refused to provide information related to subjects of bargaining that it is legally…

  • Bargaining Logistics

    This page is a central source for logistical information about GEO/UM bargaining sessions. Bargaining continues weekly until we reach an agreement (the deadline is 3/1). Grad workers can always attend bargaining sessions via Zoom — to get a link, RSVP using the form below. The locations for bargaining sessions have been agreed upon, and are:…

  • Press Release: GEO Members fill the Regents’ Meeting; call on AHR to continue bargaining

    GEO Members fill the Regents’ Meeting; call on AHR to continue bargaining  December 8, 2022 Over 30 members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO – AFT Local 3550) packed the University of Michigan Regents’ Meeting on December 8 to deliver a united message: graduate workers want to bargain for affordability and dignity immediately with Academic…

  • Press Release: U-M Refuses to Meet with Grad Workers’ Union

    December 2, 2022 U-M Refuses to Meet with Grad Workers’ Union In an unfortunate setback in contract negotiations between U-M Academic Human Resources (AHR) and Graduate Employees’ Organization (AFT Local 3550), U-M negotiators declined to meet with GEO representatives in a room large enough to accommodate them unless GEO first agreed to onerous ground rules.…

  • Press Release: Hundreds of Graduate Workers at U-M Rally for a Living Wage, Work with Dignity

    November 17, 2022Hundreds of Graduate Workers at U-M Rally for a Living Wage, Work with Dignity  Hundreds of graduate workers at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) will rally for a living wage on Thursday November 17 at 9 AM on the Central Campus Diag in anticipation of contract negotiations with University of Michigan administrators.…

  • Newsletter 10/8: Town Halls on Platform Items & Other Announcements

    Thanks to everyone who attended and participated in last week’s GMM. We are thrilled with the turnout of 203 members and hope to keep the energy and enthusiasm going all year. Due to some sensitive information in the newsletter, we are posting an abbreviated version to the website. Please join us for two town halls…

  • GEO Must Stand Together in Face of University’s Threats, Attempts to Divide

    It’s time to get serious about our commitment to one another. Attempts to delegitimize and divide, stall and threaten are expected from the typical employer in negotiations, but increasingly the University is proving they’re not above it. This past Monday the University’s team brought a state-appointed mediator in to negotiations, claiming his presence was necessary…

  • General Membership Meeting March 15 – Info Packet

    Wednesday, March 15, 2017 In this packet we’ve included: Information and updates on all bargaining proposals We have limited our discussion tonight to the Parents’ issues, IGSI/Hours Caps, DEI GSSA, Copay Caps, and Raise proposals because a) these issues are very important to members and b) specialists in these areas felt a need to check…

  • Bargaining Update: Lead-Up to Rally and GMM

    Little Movement from the University since the GMM At the last GEO General Membership Meeting over 230 members gathered to set collective bottom lines on nearly all of our member-generated platform issues. These provided the Bargaining Team with a starting place from which to strategize at the table. The GEO Bargaining Team wasted no time…