The University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees’ Organization are scheduled to resume in-person negotiations May 15. The university hopes to continue bargaining through the summer. The current three-year contract will remain in effect unless either side provides written notice of its intent to terminate the agreement.
On May 1, negotiators for GEO and the university met for the final scheduled bargaining session of the winter 2026 semester. At that time, the university proposed a four-year term of agreement with an annual salary increase of 1.5% each year of the contract.
Over the last two months, GEO submitted proposals related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campus, divestment and reinvestment, and provisions in GEO’s proposals related to “Job Security,” “Employee Rights” and “Union Rights.” Several of those proposals fall into the category of permissive bargaining, subjects that are outside the scope of negotiations. These proposals include:
- Abolishing the Division of Public Safety and Security.
- Limiting the ability of units to appoint lecturers to teach.
- Restructuring the student disciplinary process.
- Governing the graduate student academic probation and dismissal process.
- Directing university investment, divestment and reinvestment strategies.
- Imposing academic and cultural boycotts and regulating the university’s academic, research and international partnerships and affiliations.
Late last week, in an effort to move negotiations forward, the university communicated to GEO that it will not negotiate on those subjects.
“A number of GEO’s proposals involve issues outside the scope of collective bargaining and would affect broader university governance, academic operations and other represented employees,” said Alexandra Matish, associate vice provost and senior director of Academic Human Resources. “The university remains committed to bargaining in good faith over the terms and conditions of employment for GSIs, GSSAs and GSRAs, and we hope negotiations can remain focused on those core issues.”
Matish said the university supports constructive dialogue with members of the campus community through appropriate venues for issues beyond the scope of labor contract negotiations.
Natalie Chen, GEO communications chair, said GEO looks forward to continuing to pass contract proposals and responding to U-M’s proposals.
“In the past few weeks, we have passed contract proposals to improve graduate students’ working conditions that have been informed by graduate workers’ experiences and needs in relation to a wide range of issues,” Chen said. “We are dissatisfied with the counter-proposals we have received from Academic HR in response, many of which exclude the essential demands of our proposals and ignore the needs of graduate workers.”
Information and updates on all negotiating sessions are available on the University Human Resources website.
