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Bargaining talks fail; GEO to walk out

Despite 38 hours of non-stop bargaining last week, the Graduate Employees Organization and University bargaining teams have left the table without reaching an agreement.

The immediate result is a two-day GEO work stoppage beginning today.

"It is not a protest. It is a picket line," said GEO spokesperson Pete Church. "If you cross the picket line, it's not a neutral statement. It's a statement against the individuals who are fighting for a living wage and a fair contract.

"It's a matter of social justice."

University chief negotiator Dan Gamble said he did not believe there was a clear definition of what crossing a picket line meant.

"A picket line is in the eyes of the beholder," Gamble said. "It's all an individual's decision. I'm sure that everyone is not going to feel that deeply about it."

Provost J. Bernard Machen said the walk-out should not be observed by the University community.

"The strike is not in the best interest of the University and GEO," Machen said. "Our faculty and staff should not honor the strike."

Some students said they understood GEO's position but questioned the timing and effectiveness of a two-day walk-out.

"The way I see it is the (GSIs) deserve the pay raise," said Engineering first-year student James Tallman. "I'm paying money to go here, so I deserve the chance to go to class.

"Especially being so close to exam time, it's really crucial that I go to class."

LSA first-year student Kelly Klemstine agreed.

"I understand that they aren't being treated the way they want to be treated," Klemstine said. "I understand their problem, but I also think it is pretty close to exams.

"I wonder what a two-day work stoppage will do."

However, LSA senior La Tonya Sutton said she fully supported GEO's work stoppage because GSIs do much of the grading and teaching.

"I think GEO (members) do a lot of work," Sutton said. "They need to be respected and rewarded. I believe what they are asking for is not an unfair thing."

The University and GEO engaged in non-stop bargaining beginning last Tuesday under the conditions of a media blackout and closed discussions to non-bargaining members of GEO. When the marathon bargaining session ended Friday, both parties spoke about the session.

GEO President Scott Dexter said the negotiations reached a stalemate on the issues of wages and international graduate student instructor training.

"The University was unwilling to bargain on a mandatory subject of bargaining -- international GSIs," Detxer said. "They also said they would refuse to bargain on wages until (international) GSI training was dropped. That's illegal according to state law."

Gamble said the main contention on paying international GSIs for their three-week summer training was their classification as employees or students during the training period.

"The No. 1 issue is international GSIs," Gamble said. "The big stumbling point was that GEO said they were employees and should be in the contract, but we're saying they are international students not instructors in August."

Gamble said the administration was planning to release a statement in tomorrow's University Record on international GSIs. The statement outlines provisions for international GSI orientation sessions, a $500 fellowship for room and board, an advance on September's salary and some insurance coverage, he said.

"Those are all the things, except being paid, that GEO wanted," Gamble said.

GEO Bargaining Secretary Mike Sell said the $500 fellowship was a step in the right direction but not enough for the three-week stay of an international GSI.

"Thank you very much, (but) $500 is not enough," Sell said. "It's not close to being enough. The cost of housing is pretty high."

Church said GEO filed an Unfair Labor Practice suit against the University on Friday with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which plans to supervise a mediation process between the two sides on April 10 and 11.

"In any contract negotiations, there are a certain number of things that both sides are required to negotiate on," Church said. "Among them are wages, working conditions and training.

"Our contention is that the University is not engaging on real negotiations on wages and international GSI training."

Church said GEO's motivation was to get a contract during this week's mediation procedures.

"Our hope is that the walkout and Unfair Labor Practice will cause the University to significantly move from its position and sign at mediation," Church said.

Dexter said, "(The suit) won't be addressed officially in mediation, but all three parties -- we, the University, and the mediator -- will be aware of this."

Gamble said last week's around-the-clock negotiations demonstrated to both parties what issues could not be resolved.

"It was not that productive," Gamble said. "The bargaining session showed there were a couple of points we couldn't agree on.

"Both sides felt that possibly the meeting with the mediator would (do) good."

Dexter said there were some proposals signed, but these agreements happened only on the first day.

"We signed more agreements on Tuesday than any other single week of bargaining," Dexter said. "It also served to clarify the University's position.

"(Now) we're coming to the (mediation) table with fewer issues. It's much clearer to everyone what the most important issues are."

Sell agreed Tuesday was the only day proposals were signed.

"On Tuesday we spent 15 hours at the table," Sell said. "We were able to have some real compromises. We were negotiating.

"That didn't happen afterwards."