A few thousand graduate students, 

undergraduates, lecturers and Ann 

Arbor community members rallied on 

the Diag at the University of Michigan 

Wednesday 
in 
support 
of 
the 

Graduate Employees’ Organization’s 

decision to strike following months 

of unsuccessful contract negotiations 

with 
the 
University’s 
Academic 

Human Resources Department. 

The walk-out started at 10:24 a.m. 

to call attention to the fact that GEO 

is “walking away” from their current 

salary, which is just over $24,000. It 

was intended to mark the official start 

of GEO’s strike, which will continue 

until further notice.

The strike comes after months of 

activism by GEO, including filing an 

unfair labor practice charge, rallying 

at the February and March Board 

of 
Regents 
meetings, 
protesting 

University President Santa Ono’s 

inaugural procession and holding 

work-in at Haven Hall. 

In an interview with The Michigan 

Daily before the strike rally began, 

Rackham student Amir Fleischmann, 

chair 
of 
the 
GEO 
Contracts 

Committee, said graduate students 

want the University to bargain in 

good faith with GEO to address the 

issues graduate students are facing.

“I think we’re at a point in 

negotiations where things really 

aren’t 
moving 
quickly 
enough,” 

Fleischmann said. “Grad workers are 

very frustrated. They’re struggling 

to pay rent. They’re struggling to 

afford childcare. They lack access to 

gender-affirming care. And I think 

we’re saying enough is enough. The 

University needs to give us a fair 

contract now.”

At the start of the rally, GEO 

President Jared Eno spoke to the 

crowd and emphasized that the 

organization is on strike to fight for 

a better future for graduate students 

and the entire campus community.

“We are here right now because we 

know that a better world is possible,” 

Eno said. “We know that if we fight 

and we fight together, we will win.”

Following the opening speeches 

from GEO leaders, demonstrators 

marched across campus, starting at 

the Diag and ending at the Alexander 

G. Ruthven Building, where U-M 

administration offices are located. 

In an email to the campus 

community on March 24, Ono and 

University Provost Laurie McCauley 

wrote that the University may take 

legal action against GEO because 

they alleged that the work stoppage 

constitutes a breach of contract.

“The 
University 
will 
take 

appropriate lawful actions to enable 

the 
continued 
delivery 
of 
our 

educational mission in the event of a 

work disruption,” McCauley and Ono 

wrote. “Those actions will include 

asking a court to find a breach of 

contract and order strikers back to 

work, stopping the deduction of union 

dues, filing unfair labor practice 

charges, and not paying striking GSIs 

and GSSAs for time they do not work.”

In a press conference at the end of 

the rally, Eno said the University has 

yet to take any legal action against the 

union.

“The University has sent (GEO) 

multiple threatening letters,” Eno 

said. “We are not afraid of the 

University that would take us to court 

rather than pay us a living wage.”

In an interview with The Daily, 

University 
spokesperson 
Rick 

Fitzgerald confirmed that no legal 

action has been taken yet.

“There are some legal steps that 

we can take and I know the (legal) 

team’s carefully considering those 

right now,” Fitzgerald said. “(No legal 

action has been taken) that I’m aware 

of. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t taken 

place.”

LSA senior Kayla Tate, speaker for 

the Black Student Union, attended the 

rally and told The Daily she wanted to 

be there to support graduate students.

“We know this University is not 

a victim,” Tate said. “Rather, it is 

an active perpetrator of systemic 

injustice.”

Public Policy junior Meera 

Herle 
and 
LSA 
sophomore 

Bipasha Ray of the Forward 

Together party are projected 

to be the next CSG president 

and vice president, according 

to preliminary results obtained 

by The Michigan Daily Friday 

morning.

Herle currently serves as the 

CSG president’s chief of staff 

and has previously served as 

CSG senior policy advisor for 

environmental justice. She has 

engaged in CSG projects such as 

the clothing exchange and the 

grocery bag drive.

Ray previously served as an 

intern for the chief programming 

officer and later became the 

chief programming officer for 

CSG in 2022. Her involvement 

included organizing events such 

as Winter Wonderland and the 

CSG clothing exchange with 

Herle.

The 
Forward 
Together 

Coalition aims to engage all 

three University of Michigan 

campuses by expanding Student 

Legal 
Services, 
broadening 

CSG’s 
textbook 
exchange 

program to include preparation 

materials 
for 
standardized 

tests 
and 
removing 
the 

GPA 
requirement 
for 
HAIL 

Scholarship recipients on the 

Dearborn and Flint campuses. 

About 
500 
attendees 

gathered in The Power Center 

for 
the 
Performing 
Arts 

Saturday 
evening 
for 
the 

Persian Students Association’s 

23rd Annual Nowruz show. 

Corresponding with Nowruz, 

a Persian holiday celebrating 

the new year of the Iranian 

calendar, 
the 
annual 
show 

always 
occurs 
during 
late 

March. 
Saturday’s 
event 

featured a variety of sketches, 

poems, songs and dances in 

celebration of Persion culture. 

As attendees entered the 

center, they passed by a Haft-

Sin table set up in the lobby. The 

table is traditionally displayed 

during Nowruz and features a 

collection of symbolic objects. 

Engineering 
junior 
Mitra 

Mokhlesi, who helped plan the 

show, told The Daily the event 

was intended to celebrate and 

spread Iranian culture.

“We 
have 
this 
show 
in 

order to … bring the Iranian 

community 
of 
Michigan 

together and also spread our 

culture … to the broader Ann 

Arbor community,” Mokhlesi 

said.

Taubman graduate student 

student Anahita Mojahed spoke 

with The Michigan Daily about 

her favorite parts of the show, 

which included an act from 

the fashion show showcasing 

outfits from different parts of 

Iran.

“The way they incorporated 

the different culture of the 

outfits and the music and the 

different 
choreography 
was 

great,” Mojahedin said.

2 — Wednesday, April 5, 2023
News

 GEO commences strike against UMich last Wednesday

Meera Herle, Bipasha Ray voted 
next CSG president and 
vice president

 Persian Student Association 
hosts 23rd Annual Nowruz show

ADMINISTRATION

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE

 Ann Arbor community members gather in support of the Graduate Employees’ 

Organization strike against UMich at 10:24 a.m.

The Forward Together Party’s 
candidates for CSG president and vice 
president were elected for the 
2023-2024 academic year

In celebration of Nowruz, U-M community 
members gathered to watch the Persian 
Student Association’s annual show

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GRACE LAHTI//Daily

EMILY ALBERTSI//Daily

GEO strikes at 10:24 am, with members and leaders of the organization giving speeches on their motives and ultimate goals for the strike 
Wednesday. 

GEO members and allies participate in a walkout and strike on the Diag Wednesday morning. 

MILES ANDERSON & 
MATTHEW SHANBOM
Daily Staff Reporters

THE MICHIGAN DAILY 
NEWS STAFF

RYAN KERSTEN
Daily Staff Reporter

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