Some grievances are more common than you might think.  Here are a few of the issues that may be affecting both you and your colleagues.  If you find yourself concerned about any of these scenarios, contact the Grievance Committee at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Help enforce the contract that guarantees your rights!

Classification

If you are a grader who uses subjective judgment when grading, even when an answer key is supplied, you are a GSI. If you are hired to grade for a whole term and not just on a random or emergency basis, you are a GSI. In either of these cases, you cannot just be paid an hourly wage—you are covered by the contract and should get all the relevant benefits, including a tuition waiver and health insurance.

If you’ve been hired as a Graduate Student Mentor and are paid to assist newer instructors in your department or help with course design above your regular GSI duties, you should have a separate appointment fraction to cover these responsibilities.

If you are doing administrative work relevant to your studies, such as working in a department library or as a program assistant, you are a GSSA and are covered by the contract.

Hours

If your fraction calculation says that you should work an average of 20 hours a week, and you’ve met that weekly average some weeks and exceeded it in others, you’re likely to work more hours than what you’ll be paid for over the course of the term. In this case, you're entitled to a reduction of duties or increase in pay.

Job Security

If you have been offered a job by a department, that employment offer is binding. The department cannot rescind the offer, even if enrollment is lower than expected or the offer was stated to be "unofficial" (if a department attempts to offer you a position "unofficially," they have violated the contract and you should contact GEO!). When you are employed as a GSI/GSSA, you cannot be dismissed unless you resign or the department goes through the proper procedure to fire you for valid reasons.

Job Postings/Hiring

If you are looking to apply for a position and it isn’t posted by either the department or UM’s Academic Human Resources website, the contract is being violated because you don’t have an equal opportunity to apply. Check out this website: hr.umich.edu/acadhr/grads/postings.html

Paid Leave

If you must be absent from work because of a medical condition or illness, parental leave, a death in the family, or to appear in court (as a witness or for jury duty) or at an immigration hearing, it is the university's responsibility to find a replacement for you and compensate them. If you are substituting for someone who is on leave for any of the above reasons, you are entitled to be compensated at a rate of $24.08/hour.