CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE ASSISTANTS (GAs) FORM UNION,
FILE WITH LABOR BOARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE ASSISTANTS (GAs) FORM UNION,
FILE WITH LABOR BOARD

Mount Pleasant, MI - Central Michigan University graduate assistants (GAs) have filed for a union representation election with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. The Graduate Student Union (GSU) plans to negotiate health insurance, tuition waivers, hours, and working conditions with the university administration. The representation petition and membership cards were filed with MERC on Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

"The GSU provides a way for graduate assistants to communicate as a group with the faculty, staff, and administrators of CMU," stated Emily van de Water, Physical Therapy GA. "A union will give us the right to work together as equals with the administration to reach agreement about the issues important to us, improving our experiences in graduate school and increasing the quality of education at CMU as a whole," she explained.

About 550 graduate assistants are employed at CMU. These students work as teaching assistants, instructors, research assistants, and office/administrative assistants. GAs often collaborate with professors and have many of the same responsibilities as junior faculty members. The GSU now joins nearly 30 other graduate employee unions in the United States, including unions at Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan.

Although CMU provides GAs with no health benefits, the four other Michigan graduate unions won health insurance in their initial contracts. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 84% of American universities provide GAs with health benefits. "Health care is a key issue for many of us," said Alyssa Warshay, School Psychology GA. "On my parents" insurance I got along fine, but now I am too old to qualify. I purchased the CMU health insurance plan, but my estimated costs this year will be more than $6,000. That's almost half of my yearly earnings."

Salary is also an important issue. Matt Igleski, Biology teaching assistant described, "A lot of graduate assistants struggle to get by and still have to take out loans because our stipend will not cover all of our living expenses. Some are unable to pay for medical bills or have to obtain food stamps." National statistics are unavailable for most departments, but CMU's Biology graduate assistants were ranked second to last in pay among biology programs nationwide in a recent study by The Chronicle.

Tuition waivers are another important issue. Graduate assistants receive 5 to 20 free credits per year, with the level of the tuition waiver varying across departments and other factors. Michael Hoerger, Clinical Psychology teaching assistant, noted that "The tuition waiver is fine for a lot of students, but some graduate assistants take 25-30 credits per year, leaving people to pay several thousands of dollars out of pocket." Most CMU faculty and office employees receive a 24 credit tuition waiver, and through their unions, three other Michigan graduate unions have negotiated waivers over 20 credits.

Scott Dunn, Mathematics teaching assistant, added, "It's about being competitive. Even though our programs are strong, a lot of the best minds will opt to go to Western, MSU, and U of M simply for fair benefits. Through the union, we're looking to make CMU more marketable."

Finally, the GSU will allow graduate assistants to play a greater role in university decision-making. Last year, CMU made dramatic changes to rent and housing policies in one sector of on-campus apartments, affecting a large number of international students. Nelson Ungang, an international graduate assistant in the MBA program, reasoned, "I think graduate students having a stronger voice is a great idea. It will be a real help to many international students."

Like the graduate employee unions at of UM, MSU, Western Michigan, and Wayne State, the GSU is affiliated with AFT Michigan, the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.