ANN ARBOR, MI — TJ Waller has been getting up before 5 a.m. the last two days to join the picket line with other graduate student employees at the University of Michigan as they strike for a variety of reasons, including protections from the novel coronavirus.
Waller, a Ph.D. student in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department, is taking part in the work stoppage as well, meaning he will not teach or conduct thesis research. His legs are sore and he has blisters on his feet, but Waller is proud of his fellow students.
“Many graduate students in my department support the strike and what is being demanded. We want a university that truly cares about the health and safety of its community,” Waller said.
Graduate employees have been striking since Sept. 8 at UM’s Ann Arbor campus, demanding more transparency from the university regarding its plans related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a universal right to work remotely, childcare subsidies and the disarming of the campus’s Division of Public Safety and Security.
From COVID testing to cops, University of Michigan graduate students explain why they’re striking
It’s the first strike since 1975, and graduate students plan to strike for 12 hours a day through Friday, Sept. 11. So far, Waller and many other UM community members have seen support from many individuals and groups. Waller was at the School of Music, Theatre and Dance this morning, and construction workers stood in solidarity with the graduate students, refusing to cross the picket line to start their shifts.
Waller also said there is an overwhelming amount of support from undergraduate students.
“It’s impossible to overemphasize how important that is to striking graduate students,” Waller said. “... We need undergrads, staff and faculty joining us to demonstrate that even though grad students started this strike, it’s something members across the campus community believe in.”
Emma Sandberg, a junior at UM’s Ford School of Public Policy, skipped all of her classes Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of her classes were canceled and she expects more to be canceled in the coming days. While her professors have continued instruction, they have sent emails to students saying they won’t penalize anyone who skips class to show support for GEO.
Sandberg felt the strike was necessary given the university’s “problematic COVID-19 plan" and the university’s reaction to the strike.
“The university is hardly testing anyone and is being too lenient on social distancing measures,” Sandberg said. “The safety and well-being of students should be the administration’s top priority, but based on their COVID-19 plans, it’s not.”
While she is in favor of the strike, it has left many students unsure about whether they should attend classes or if they will be marked down for missing class. Some are concerned that the administration will fail to meet GEO’s demands and are anxious about how long the strike will last.
“That said, most students I’ve spoken to seem very supportive of this despite the disruption to classes,” Sandberg said. “Many of us are upset that the administration seems to prioritize money over the health of students and all members of the UM community.”
UM Provost Susan Collins sent an email to undergraduate students Wednesday, saying the university is intent on minimizing the consequences of the strike and classes will continue to be offered, “although there may be short-term modifications.”
Collins also said she affirms the importance of student perspectives and student activism at the university, but as the university said Tuesday, the strike violates Michigan law.
“... (In) addition, GEO has agreed by contract not to take actions that interfere with the university’s operations, in this case, your education. Nonetheless, the university’s team will continue to meet with GEO in good faith to resolve remaining issues,” Collins' email said.
Ben Gerstein, a senior at UM and former president of Central Student Government, said the strike is simply a culmination of collective frustrations surrounding the university’s pandemic response.
“And a pretty clear message from UM that profit is more important to them than the safety and well-being of the student body, staff and faculty,” Gerstein said.
One of the core issues, Gerstein said, is the lack of COVID-19 testing and the fact that leadership at UM have contradicted the well-established value of testing. It was also a reason residence hall staff at UM decided to go on strike, following the footsteps of graduate students.
Residence hall staff on strike at University of Michigan, demand more coronavirus protections
The entire response from the administration, Gerstein said, has been cold and out of touch.
“The paternalistic speak in messages to GEO and the student community around the strike has, in my mind, shown more of an interest in handling this as a PR incident than genuinely listening and considering the demands of GEO,” Gerstein said.
READ MORE:
University of Michigan’s graduate student union to strike against in-person classes
As classes begin, faculty still pressing University of Michigan to switch to virtual fall semester
University of Michigan ramping up coronavirus testing to 3,000 per week
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