The records of the Graduate Employees Organization consist of agendas and minutes of meetings, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, contract negotiating proposals and notes, and membership lists. These materials document the struggle of GSAs for recognition, fair wages, and good working conditions at the University of Michigan since 1974. The records of GEO came to the library in a series of accessions beginning in 1985. These accessions were arranged into five series: Administration, Bargaining, Office Files, Original Artwork, and Archived Website, reflecting the core structures and functions of the union. Some of the materials in different accessions overlap in dates and information with the prior accessions to this collection.
The Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) is the legally certified collective bargaining agent for Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) and Graduate Student Staff Assistants (GSSAs) at the University of Michigan. These GSI/GSSAs concurrently pursue graduate degrees and teach undergraduates at the university. As GEO t-shirts note, they are"Workers, Teachers, Students." At present, the GEO is the oldest, continually-functioning union of graduate student employees in the country. This longevity is owed to the periodic infusion of new blood, leaders newly committed to "carry it on" in the GEO tradition, and to the continued guidance and support of GEO's affiliates, the Michigan Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers.
"Teaching Fellows" first began to organize in 1970, when the University Teaching Fellows' Union (TFU) collected enough signatures to warrant an election by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC). In the same year, Political Science TFs walked out on their discussion sections to protest departmental cuts to TF allocations. In 1971, MERC denied the petition and ruled that TFs alone did not constitute an appropriate collective bargaining unit. While MERC did not offer an opinion on student/employee distinction, it agreed with university administration that even if TFs were employees, they should be part of a unit that included Research and Staff Assistants. No election was conducted.
A number of administrative decisions in the summer of 1973 sparked a second organizing drive. Teaching Fellows formed the Organization of Teaching Fellows (OTF) to protest a 24% tuition increase. Other concerns included the loss of TFs' in-state tuition status, new residency requirements, and the lack of a pay increase. OTF, loosely associated with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), attempted to begin negotiations with president Robben Fleming, but were rebuffed. The administration would not bargain unless OTF was officially recognized by MERC. Discussions of a possible strike were well underway when the administration discovered a $3.75 million budget overflow and announced plans to grant a sizable pay increase for Teaching Fellows. TFs subsequently failed to authorize a strike but continued their organizing efforts. They joined Research and Staff Assistants to form the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) and demanded recognition as the sole bargaining agent for all Graduate Student Assistants (by this time, the Administration was referring to TFs as "Teaching Assistants"). This time the Administration agreed to an immediate MERC certification election. GEO was officially certified on April 15, 1974 after an overwhelming vote of 807 in favor, 424 against.
After the 1974 election, the GEO began the arduous process of reaching a contract settlement with the university. The first contract was ratified in March 1975 after a five week-strike by GEO. The second contract was tentatively agreed to in November 1976, but the university refused to sign it until GEO dropped pending grievances. GEO filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) suit against the university; the university countered that the ULP did not apply since GSI/GSSAs were students, not teachers. This began a seriesof suits and appeals which ended with a 1981 MERC decision that teaching and staff assistants were employees, but research assistants (who had been part of GEO) were students. In November 1981, the 1976 contract was finally signed by both parties and ratified by the members.
The MERC decision of 1981 marked a watershed for GEO. No longer could the university profitably argue that GEO had no legal right to exist. The university changed its bargaining approach, instead focusing on how to maximize productivity in relation to GSI/GSSAs costs. GEO continued to bargain for a fair wage, elimination of tuition for GSI/GSSAs, control of class size, paid training for teaching assistants, and stronger language on affirmative action. These issues determined the nature of the negotiations and contracts of 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1987. While the bargaining was tense, the confrontations which marked the process in the 1970s were mostly absent; only in 1987 did a strike seem possible.
Throughout its history, GEO has prided itself on being a truly democratic union. Its constitution provides that any substantive decision has to be approved by a vote of the members. At times this has made for delay and difficulty in transacting union business, but the leaders regard this as a fair trade-off. Initially, the day-to-day business of GEO was carried out by the executive committee while the stewards' council saw to the organizing and outreach functions of the union. In the early 1980s, the administration of GEO was reorganized to include more voices in guiding the union. At this time, a ten-member steering committee was formed to supplant the executive committee. The day-to-day running of the union has fallen to paid office staffers, drawn from the ranks of GSI/GSSAs. Although not officially disbanded, the stewards' council was dissolved and met only at times of crisis. The council was reinstated in October of 1991 and continues to operate in much the same way as before the disbanding.
GEO has continued to fight for the rights of graduate employees delving into issues of race discrimination, sexual harassment, and discrimination based on international student status. The group has also continued to be actively involved in the Ann Arbor community with activities such as Adopt-a-Store and the National Day of Action. Bargaining and negotiations continue to be essential functions of the GEO, and issues such as childcare for GSI/GSSAs and appropriate healthcare benefits have been topics of negotiation. The 2005 negotiations created a broad set of documents, including ballots for a proposed strike.
