Walkout!

crossposted from howtheuniversityworks.com

The AFT-affiliated Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) walked off the job at 5 am this morning, shutting down classes, construction sites, and loading docks at the University of Michigan, with the support of undergraduatesand union workers.  

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The goal of the two-day walkout was to get the attention of the administration during contract negotiations that had not been taking seriously the union's demand that teaching assistants earn a living wage in the Ann Arbor area, representing a one-time increase of over 9%, to be followed by regular cost-of-living increases.

That demand appears to have succeeded, with the university requesting that bargaining re-commence.

GEO is one of the most successful graduate employee unions in the country with a long tradition of militant response to administrator intransigence, staging walkouts or work stoppages in 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2002.  

•  Solidarity, Forever

  by voila on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 12:44:28 PM PDT

•  Awesome

  That demand appears to have succeeded, with the university requesting that bargaining re-commence.

  by sheddhead on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 12:47:11 PM PDT

•  What a real strike looks like.

  You should post this at MyDD under subject line of my post.

  Let Alegre and the others know what a real strike looks like.

  by Bob Johnson on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 12:50:47 PM PDT

•  also the Sadrist movement

  The Sadrists in Iraq are also engaged in a walkout and civil disobedience campaign. Maybe there can be some solidarity campaign. Basrans for an end to the occupation and for the grad students to be paid more!

  by Marcion on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 12:51:28 PM PDT

•  Solidarity from a fellow prof. n/t

  by DJ ProFusion on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 02:19:43 PM PDT

•  Solidarity, from a fellow union member.

  WGA here, just went through our own strike.

  I also had to walk off the job as a student dining hall worker when I went to college, because our esteemed Ivy League university treated its workers like crap.  I just had a work-study job as a dishwasher, as part of my financial aid, but the townies I worked with were great people who deserved better from our school.  

  Best of luck.

  by chumley on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:17:12 PM PDT

•  Go GEO !

  What will really get the administration's attention is the fact that workers on the Big House honored the picket line. If the stadium isn't finished being remodeled by the first football game - all hell will break lose. They are on a very tight schedule. Football rules at this university, so I'm pretty sure they will settle very quickly.

  by moose67 on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:32:30 PM PDT