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
Read more at MichiganDaily.com