How does a union run and how does it operate?
Who is the AFT and AFT Michigan? How are they connected to GEO?
What history do GSRAs have with GEO?
How many GSRAs are there at UM?
How is the position of GSRA defined?
How does a union provide legal protection for its employees?
How does collective bargaining work?
How does GEO approach bargaining?
Will my advisor fire me for joining a union?
Does having a union mean there will be strikes?
Do unions typically bargain a minimum standard or a mandatory level of benefits?
This sounds great. How do I sign up?
I’ve signed an authorization card. Now what?
BACKGROUND
A union is an organized group of employees who have joined together to bargain with their employer with regard to workplace issues, such as wages and benefits.
How does a union run and how does it operate?
Unions can be structured and operated in a number of ways. GEO is structured as a democratic association with an emphasis on participation and shared decision- making; rather than relying heavily on paid staff, GEO members work together to use the collective bargaining process to improve their working conditions. This is to be contrasted with the approach of unions which operate as representative agents and bargain on behalf of employees. Through GEO, members represent themselves. The issues that GEO deals with and the actions that it takes are reflective of the priorities of and decisions made by the members. Day-to-day affairs are generally run by officers (who are elected by the members), committee chairs (who are elected by the Stewards Council), and active members. Paid staff are hired by GEO to help with contract administration, organizing, office management, and finances. The Stewards Council is comprised of representatives who are elected from each department at department meetings. All major decisions are made by either the Stewards Council or General Membership Meetings.
Who is the AFT and AFT Michigan? How are they connected to GEO?
GEO is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, a labor union founded in 1916. The AFT comprises 1.5 million members from a diverse range of professions, including local, state and federal workers, higher education faculty, graduate employees and staff and health-care professionals. AFT represents 25,000 graduate employees at 20 institutions. AFT Michigan is the state affiliate of AFT; it is the largest higher education union in Michigan, and comprises a total of 35,000 members.
AFT and AFT Michigan have strong constitutional protections for the autonomy of local affiliates like GEO; we contribute to decision-making at the state and national levels, but no one who isn’t a GEO member makes decisions for GEO.
For more on the services and support that AFT and AFT Michigan provide to GEO, see Where Does Your Dues Money Go?
What history do GSRAs have with GEO?
GSRAs were covered by the first GEO Contract, signed in 1975. The University of Michigan refused to negotiate a second contract and filed suit with the Michigan Employment Relations Committee (MERC), arguing that graduate employees did not have the right to engage in collective bargaining. In 1981, MERC decided that GSIs and GSSAs should be considered workers under the law, but that GSRAs should not. The basis of the MERC decision to exclude GSRAs was the claim that the research of GSRAs primarily benefits their own education and does not constitute a service to the University. In the thirty years since GSRAs were removed from the GEO bargaining unit, the University of Michigan has consistently transferred to GSRAs the salary and benefits negotiated by GSIs working through GEO. Thus, GEO has been acting as a de facto bargaining agent for GSRAs even though they are not formally included in the GEO bargaining unit. However, some GEO-negotiated benefits (tuition waivers for those at low fractions, reimbursement of the SEVIS fee for international graduate employees) haven’t been passed on to GSRAs.
How many GSRAs are there at UM?
In winter term 2011, there were at least 2100 GSRAs (about 1000 on North Campus, about 880 on Central Campus, and about 200 on the Medical Campus).
How is the position of GSRA defined?
As defined in GEO’s proposal to the University, GSRAs are employed to conduct or assist in the conducting of research of a scholarly nature which benefits the University, a faculty member, academic staff supervisor, granting agency, or any other agent or unit of the University. Duties of GSRAs may include, but are not limited to, the gathering and analyses of data, the development of theoretical analyses and models, the production or publication of scholarly journals and research reports, and the maintenance of laboratories and equipment. Research conducted by such an Employee may be academically relevant to his or her academic program and may also benefit the Employee and be used in his/her dissertation or other academic work. The title need not be given to a graduate student who is compensated to conduct or assist in the conducting of research of a scholarly nature which meets both of the following conditions:
1. does not benefit the University, a faculty member, academic staff supervisor, granting agency, or any other agent or unit of the University; and
2. is used in his/her dissertation or other personal academic product.
Currently, GSRAs are not covered by the GEO contract, but GEO can help GSRAs navigate through their appointment. Contact the GEO Grievance Committee if you have any questions regarding your appointment, which is managed by Academic Human Resources.
OPERATIONS
How does a union provide legal protection for its employees?
An employee who is a member of a union has the legal protection of the collective bargaining agreement (the contract) and access to a formal grievance procedure. The contract guarantees wages, benefits, leave time, workplace safety, work schedule, job security, access to job resources (office space, printers, etc.), and a fair and open hiring practice. The employment contract negotiated by GEO differs from the funding offer letters received by most graduate students at Michigan because the GEO Contract creates enforceable obligations. By contrast, the University can (and sometimes has) reneged on the promises made in offer letters. Graduate Employees who are represented by the GEO Contract have access to a grievance procedure ending in binding third-party arbitration. This means that disputes about rights or obligations under the GEO Contract are decided through a formal process which operates independently of the University.
By contrast, “A GSRA with questions or concerns about any aspect of his or her appointment,” is, according the U-M Academic Human Resources website, “encouraged to raise the concerns with his or her mentor, supervisor and/or department chairperson.” Of course, some disputes — maybe even most — are best resolved through informal conversations with immediate supervisors. When that isn’t possible, a union grievance procedure gives the employee access to an advocate who will prioritize the employee’s interests rather than balancing them against other interests of the University or Department.
How does collective bargaining work?
Collective bargaining is the process by which a group of employees represented by a union negotiate with their employer the terms and conditions of employment that will apply to the workers collectively. The product of the bargaining process is a legally enforceable contract binding on all parties.
Numerous aspects of the collective bargaining process are mandated by law. For example, each side in the negotiations is required to bargain in good faith. This means that the parties should be seeking to reach agreement and may not modify their formal positions in ways that move further from agreement.
Another legal constraint on collective bargaining is the union’s duty of representation. The duty of representation is the requirement that the union represent the interests of all employees rather than favoring the interests of some at the expense of others. (Note that “representing the interests of all employees” doesn’t mean that the exact same provisions have to apply to the employment of everyone covered under a contract—the GEO contract for GSIs and GSSAs, for example, sets minimum pay levels; departments may exceed them (and some have). It’s also common for graduate employee contracts at other institutions to set differing minimum pay levels by department or program.)
The law also constrains the issues which may be negotiated, dividing them into mandatory and permissive subjects of bargaining. Mandatory topics of bargaining are wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment (such as medical and dental benefits), and because the subjects are mandatory, if one or the other parties wants to negotiate about them, both sides are legally bound to work in good faith to reach agreement.
Permissive topics are issues that either party may refuse to bargain over. Some topics which are vital to our working conditions are considered permissive. For example, in Michigan the inclusion of a grievance procedure in a contract is a permissive subject of bargaining.
How does GEO approach bargaining?
GEO’s approach to bargaining is informed by the organization’s emphasis on member participation and democratic decision-making. GEO drafts its bargaining platform using a procedure that involves surveys of members, meetings in numerous departments, discussions at Stewards Council and General Membership meetings, as well as hundreds of one-on-one conversations. GEO then elects a committee of members to represent graduate employees in negotiations with the Administration. Negotiations are open to all GEO members and during breaks in the proceedings (which occur frequently) the bargaining committee consults with members in the room about the issues at the table. Decisions about priorities among issues are not made by the bargaining team, but are instead sent to the Stewards Council or to a General Membership Meeting for a vote.
Does a union offer workers any protection to cuts to granting agencies or legislation that negatively impacts public employees?
A union can offer some protection. A union contract can provide a ‘safe harbor’ which insulates employees from the immediate effect of changes to the law, and can set minimum standards which the employer must meet regardless of funding contingencies. Some research assistant contracts at other universities require that GSRAs be informed when the grants that provide their pay are in jeopardy or about to run out. See “Example Posting and Hiring Contract Language.”
Under the current GEO Contract, every GSI and GSSA represented by GEO pays a portion of their salary to GEO. Full members pay slightly more. Because a GSRA unit of GEO will have the legal responsibility to negotiate and enforce a contract for all GSRAs, GEO will likely negotiate for similar fair-share provisions for the GSRA unit.
A union’s dues are set by its members through a democratic process; changes in dues are voted on by the entire membership. GEO dues have historically been set at around 1% of salary plus the amount needed to meet AFT and AFT-MI member dues.
In the present academic year this equates to GEO membership dues of 1.63% of gross pay, while non-members pay a representation service fee of 1.53%.
When GSRAs are included in the union—and after a first GSRA contract is reached (because no union dues are charged until that happens)—all members (GSIs, GSSAs, GSRAs) will need to determine a new dues rate. While some expenses increase with the size of GEO’s membership, many more don’t change; with a larger total membership, the dues and fee rates will decrease, though we don’t yet know by how much. The GEO finance committee is working on a draft budget incorporating those projections now.
Dues allow the union to function. As a percent of the GEO budget, in recent years dues have been used to employ staff (~25%), pay legal fees (~10%), pay office expenses (~10%), and cover other overhead (~20%) necessary for enforcing the contract. In addition, ~30% of revenue collected pays dues to state and national affiliate unions.
AFT-MI and AFT National, GEO’s affiliates, provide skilled staff, cover the majority of GEO’s legal expenses, and offer strong support in dealing with university and government institutions. If you’re interested in more detail on what GEO, AFT Michigan, and AFT do with GEO member dues, see GEO’s
Dues FAQ and Where Does Your Dues Money Go?
GEO is obligated by law to use the money collected from non-members only for the purposes of representation and not for ideological purposes. A certified audit is conducted each year to review GEO’s finances and ensure that non-member fees have not been spent inappropriately. Non-members who object to the determination of the fee
OTHER QUESTIONS
The GEO Campaign to add GSRAs to the union is planned to proceed in three steps. The first step, which ended in April, was card collection. Union advocates—GEO members and the organizers who work with us–talked to about 1500 GSRAs and asked those who supported unionization to sign authorization cards.
Once enough authorization cards had been collected —in late April— GEO petitioned the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) to hold a vote.
We’re still working out the details of the election with UM and MERC. You can read updates about this on GEO’s main page, here.
Once a majority of GSRAs vote in favor of unionization, GSRAs will then be recognized as a separate bargaining unit within GEO and will negotiate a contract with the University Administration. amount have the right to challenge it.
Will my advisor fire me for joining a union?
The right to collectively organize is guaranteed by law. Under the GEO contract, GSI/ GSSAs can’t be fired for union activity; the Public Employment Relations Act (PERA) provides similar protections even for employees (like GSRAs) whose union isn’t yet recognized by the employer. The more public you are about supporting and joining GEO, the more you are protected under this law! Still, GEO doesn’t publish union membership data.
Does having a union mean there will be strikes?
Not necessarily. Whether a strike will occur is decided upon by members of the union, and usually the decision to strike is made only when no other options exist. There are other methods a union can adopt to pressure the employer. In addition, it should be noted that public employees in the state of Michigan are legally prohibited from striking. The UM/GEO contract (Article III) also prohibits strikes or work actions by the employees and lock-outs by the employer.
Do unions typically bargain a minimum standard or a mandatory level of benefits?
Unions generally only bargain minimums, but can bargain either depending on the decision of the members. GEO typically only bargains minimum standards. Salary rates outlined in the current GEO contract for GSIs and GSSAs are only minimum rates (Article X, Section B); each employing unit has the option to pay employees at a higher rate.
This sounds great. How do I sign up?
Contact us so that we can arrange for you to sign an authorization card. Volunteers or staff members can meet with you at home, at your office, a coffee shop, or wherever is convenient for you. The only way you can sign up is by physically signing an authorization card given to you by a volunteer or staff; there is no electronic form.
I’ve signed an authorization card. Now what?
Great! You’ve taken the first step in restoring the right of GSRAs to collectively bargain over the terms and conditions of their employment. Talk to your friends and colleagues about the campaign. Help sign-up other GSRAs, both in and outside of your department. Join other GSRAs and GSIs/GSSAs at the GEO Stewards Council (open to all members) every other Wednesday night at the GEO office at 6-7:30pm. Keep checking the GEO website to stay updated on the campaign.
- Talk with and help sign-up other GSRAs into GEO!
- Come to Stewards Council every other Wed night at GEO office at 6-7:30!
- Contact: gsra@geo3550.org
- Phone: (734) 995-0221
- Address: GEO Office, 330 E. Liberty, Suite 3F, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
