The 2020 Michigan graduate students' strike was a

labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...

launched by the Graduate Employees' Organization 3550 (GEO 3550), the graduate student employee union that represents approximately 2,100

graduate student instructor A teaching fellow (sometimes referred to as a TF) is an individual at a higher education institution, including universities, whose role involves teaching and potentially pedagogic research. The work done by teaching fellows can vary enormously fr ...

s at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The main cause of the strike was related to

graduate students Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

' objection to the university's plans for reopening during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Additional calls were made by the union for defunding the campus police. The strike started on September 8, 2020, and was scheduled to last for four days, with a subsequent vote extending the strike for another week. Following the start of the strike, resident assistants and student employees for the university's dining services announced they would also strike over similar concerns regarding the university's COVID-19 policies. On September 16, union members voted to end the strike, with work resuming the following day.

Background

Prior to the strike,

s (GSIs) at the

expressed objections to the university administration's plans for reopening during the

. On August 31, members of GEO 3550, the graduate student employee union at the university representing approximately 2,100 GSIs, protested outside the house of

President of the University of Michigan The president of the University of Michigan is a constitutional officer who serves as the principal executive officer of the University of Michigan. The president is chosen by the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, as provided for ...

Mark Schlissel Mark Steven Schlissel (born November 24, 1957) is an American medical scientist and academic administrator who served as the 14th president of the University of Michigan from 2014 to 2022. Schlissel's initial contract with the University of M ...

and organized a

die-in A die-in, sometimes known as a lie-in, is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead. Die-ins are actions that have been used by a variety of protest groups on topics such as animal rights, anti-war, against traffic violence, hum ...

. On September 7 (

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

), the union announced a

that would start the next day following a general membership vote held the previous day that saw 80% of voters approve strike action. According to the GEO 3550 president, just under 600 members voted in favor of striking and slightly less than 100 voted against it, with some members unavailable for the vote due to being away for Labor Day weekend. The strike was scheduled to last for four days, with a vote scheduled afterwards that would extend the strike for another week if union demands were not met. A previous strike organized by GEO 3550 in 2008 had lasted only two days. Demands by the union included a universal right to

remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...

, increased

COVID-19 testing COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral ...

(including random testing) by the university, and

defunding the police "Defund the police" is a slogan that supports removing funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and ...

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

, with 50% of the

campus police Campus police or university police in the United States and Canada are sworn police or peace officers employed by a college or university to protect that private property of the campus and surrounding areas and the people who live, work, and v ...

's budget to be reallocated towards community programs. The Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO), the union for

lecturers Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct res ...

at Michigan, announced on Labor Day that they support the GSIs' strike and share similar concerns over the campus's reopening policies. However, LEO officials reminded members that they would not be participating in the strike, and that any members involved in strike action would be subject to

disciplinary action In a deliberative assembly, disciplinary procedures are used to punish members for violating the rules of the assembly. Codes and rules According to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), discipline could include censure, fine, suspension ...

. In response to the call for a strike, the university highlighted that the strike would violate both the

law of Michigan The law of Michigan consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, regulatory and case law. The ''Michigan Compiled Laws'' form the general statutory law. Sources The Constitution of Michigan is the foremost source of state la ...

and the contract between the union and university signed in April 2020. Additionally, the university claimed that some of the demands from the union could not be resolved through collective bargaining or contract renegotiations. The

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

-based

alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. History and content Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed f ...

'' called the university's actions "ironic," considering that their response came on Labor Day, a day strongly tied to the

American labor movement The labor history of the United States describes the history of organized labor, US labor law, and more general history of working people, in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, unions became important allies of the Democratic Party. T ...

Course of the strike

The strike began on September 8, with GSIs performing a work stoppage and

picketing Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pick ...

around the university campus. That same day, the university filed an

unfair labor practice An unfair labor practice (ULP) in United States labor law refers to certain actions taken by employers or unions that violate the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 449) (also known as the NLRA and the Wagner Act after NY Senator R ...

charge against the union for violating terms of their contract. Later that night, the Central Student Government Assembly, a

student government A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

at the university, unanimously passed a resolution in support of the strike, urging students to not attend classes in solidarity with the strikers. The next day, September 9, over 100

resident assistants A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and university, universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or simila ...

at the university announced that they would also go on strike, demanding both better protections from COVID-19 and

hazard pay "Hazard Pay" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series '' Breaking Bad'', and the 49th overall episode of the series. Written by Peter Gould and directed by Adam Bernstein, it originally aired on AMC in the ...

. Additionally, graduate student unions at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

expressed support for the strike, and some

construction workers Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...

at the university joined striking GSIs on their picket lines. That night, the union held a general meeting where they voted to reject a proposal that had been put forward by the university that would have ended the strike. The proposal had been supported by GEO 3550 leadership, but was rejected by an "overwhelming majority" of the general membership, with 736 voting to reject, 428 voting to approve, and 81 abstaining. Following the rejection, the university issued a release describing the proposal in greater detail, also claiming that the strike has disrupted thousands of classes since its start and reiterating the illegality of the strike. The university also claimed that they would rescind their unfair labor practice charge and not penalize striking employees if a deal could be reached that would end the strike. On September 10, student employees for the university's dining services announced they would perform a

walkout In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace and withholding labor as an act of protest. A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an ...

the next day to also protest the university's COVID-19 policies. The strike expired that same day, with a vote scheduled over the next two days that would determine if the strike would be prolonged. On September 11, about 250 protestors gathered at the Michigan Union, where multiple speeches were given on issues pertaining to the strike. By September 13, the union announced that 80% of the votes cast were in favor of extending the strike for another week. The next day, President Schlissel announced that the university would be seeking a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protection or ...

and a

preliminary injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in par ...

against the union through the

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

Circuit Court to stop the strike. According to the university, the union could be held in

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

and face

civil damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

if the injunction is granted. That same day,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib (, ; born July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the D ...

of Michigan voiced her support for the strikers, accusing the university of "

union-busting Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or prevent the formation of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace. Union busting tactics can refer to both legal and illegal activities, and can range ...

via the courts." On September 16, GEO 3550 held a

press conference A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

on the steps of the Hatcher Graduate Library where they elaborated on some of their anti-policing demands and spoke about the support they had received on both a local and national level. The conference included several members of the university community discussing their concerns with the university's COVID-19 response. On the night of September 16, the union held a vote during a general meeting regarding a continuation of the strike. Ultimately, the union voted to end the strike with a vote of 1,074 to 239, with 66 members abstaining. Statements by the union claimed that the university made "substantial movements" on all of the union's demands, including policing reforms that had not been addressed in the university's first proposal to the union. As part of the end to the strike, the university agreed to drop its case with the Circuit Court to intervene in the work stoppage. Ultimately, the strike was the longest in GEO 3550 history since 1975.

Aftermath

On September 16, at a meeting of the faculty senate of the University of Michigan which attracted over 2,000 participants, members voted 957 to 953 on a vote of no confidence against President Schlissel, with 184 faculty members abstaining. While the vote was initially reported to have failed, the senate issued a statement on September 18 that said that, after a closer reading of ''

Robert's Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert. "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the work for which ...

'' regarding

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...

, the vote had actually passed. This was the first time the faculty senate had ever voted no confidence on a president, with the senate stating that they have "exhausted all channels of communication to express their grave concerns about reopening plans" and that the president "has shown little substantial changes in policy in response to expressed concerns". The vote is a symbolic act, as the president is ultimately accountable not to the faculty, but to the

Regents of the University of Michigan The Regents of the University of Michigan, sometimes referred to as the board of regents, are constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Michigan who collectively form the governing body of the University of Michigan, comprising the campuses a ...

, who stated their support of Schlissel on September 17. On September 17, an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

was published by staff members of the university in which they voiced alarm at the university's response to the strike actions and stated that they "believe many of the issues GEO and other student activists are fighting for remain unresolved". The letter, which also stated support for the resident assistants' demands, was signed by 116 university staff members by September 19.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michigan graduate students strike, 2020 2020 in Michigan 2020 labor disputes and strikes Education labor disputes in the United States September 2020 events in the United States Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Labor disputes in Michigan Student strikes University of Michigan Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education

Background

Course of the strike

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading

External links