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Support GEO work stoppage next week

Contract talks started last October. GEO held a mock strike in early February, when the graduate student instructors' contract expired. GSIs picketed at various locations around campus. Eventually, both sides agreed to extend the bargaining sessions while GSIs taught, until today. With the failure to finalize a contract, GEO correctly believes that a work stoppage is the most effective way to pressure the University.

GEO chose the exact dates because it will enter mediation with the University April 10. The work stoppage is key for GEO to send a strong statement to the mediator in order to demonstrate the importance of GSIs in undergraduate education. Moreover, finals are not yet in swing; canceling classes any later would risk hurting undergraduate students. GEO's timing was well-planned.

GEO directly affects the quality of undergraduate instruction. With better benefits and a more comfortable work environment, the University will be more successful in attracting top GSIs -- both from the United States and abroad. Undergraduate students, in an act of solidarity, should support their fellow students and honor the strike by not attending classes. While it may be burdensome for students to miss class, their support is crucial for GEO to be successful in its mediation. Professors should be aware of the situation and either cancel class or refrain from punishing students who choose to stay away.

Mediation is not binding; a resolution to this contract squabble is far from guaranteed by the introduction of a third party. After more than six months of negotiations, mediation is a desperate last resort. In addition, the University hires the mediator. When GEO and the University were hammering out the last contract, the mediator appeared somewhat biased in favor of the University. Clearly, mediation may not be enough to express the gravity of the situation -- a work stoppage will.

The University has ignored the issues at hand and stalled repeatedly on addressing key GEO demands, which include a reasonable cost-of-living increase, better health benefits and improved training for international GSIs. One of the biggest sticking points is the wage increase. By the University's own statistics, GSIs need about $1,200 per month to live in Ann Arbor. Currently, GSIs earn about $350 below that. The University has yet to seriously engage GEO in discussion of the topic. Perhaps the work stoppage will force the University to confront this issue, as well as the other topics on the table.

Undergraduate students and professors should support GEO by skipping class April 8 and 9. GSIs are educators and undergraduate education would be impossible without them. A work stoppage will attract the administration's attention -- and may even solve the dispute.