Judge to decide if striking U of M grad assistants will be forced back to work
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The University of Michigan has filed a court injunction aimed at forcing striking graduate assistants back to work.
This action comes after the union representing roughly 2,300 graduate assistants decided to walk off the job last Wednesday.
The university said the union is in violation of its current collective bargaining agreement, which forbids going on strike.
"That's a shameful act, that's an anti-labor act that goes against what the university is supposed to represent," said Richard Bachmann, a striking graduate assistant.
Bachmann is a ranking member of the GEO, the union that represents grad assistants.
Bachmann said the strike was a last-resort effort to fight for a living wage for graduate assistants who have a heavy workload, but also a lighter-than-desired paycheck.
Protests have occurred at U of M campuses in Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn, with Monday's taking place at its downtown Detroit campus.
GEO is fighting for a 60% pay bump, which would increase the current salary from $24,000 to $38,000. There are many other items the union is fighting for, like health care-related items, however, pay is at the center of their strike.
The university has maintained it continues to be at the negotiating table to get a deal done. However, the strike is a violation of the current collective bargaining agreement. This is the reason university officials are therefore forced to file a court injunction.
That court hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday. Bachmann believes the judge will side with the union.
"We are confident we will come out of this hearing and we will be able to continue our strike," he said.