Home » News » University »
GSU members rally Wednesday for better health care outside Warriner Hall
Graduate Student Union members want to show the Central Michigan University administration they are serious about change.
“We think CMU needs better health care,” said Interim Bargaining Team Chief Spokesman Andy Cox, a Virginia graduate student. “We want to be heard and GSU means business.”
Graduate students, faculty and supporters rallied Wednesday outside Warriner Hall to voice their concerns. Cox led the chant, “It’s not fair, we need health care,” to a cheering crowd.
The GSU wants the administration to hear the concerns of the graduate assistants who want better health care plans, tuition waivers and a salary increase.
Salary
• WMU: 2 percent increase in pay per year
• MSU: annual increases of 3 percent, 2.75 percent, and 2.5 percent
• CMU: No guaranteed wage increase
• WSU: Two week severance pay if unexpected loss of assistantship
• U-M: Union has negotiated raises the past 10 years, average raise of 3.5 percent
Health Insurance
• U-M: Same as faculty insurance, choice of several HMOs or Blue Cross/Blue Shield
• WSU: Free dental for GAs and dependents
• CMU: University does not offer health insurance as part of graduate assistantships
• MSU: Comprehensive health insurance package: vision, dental, mental health
• WMU: Employer contributes $800 toward premium for health insurance
Tuition Waiver
• WMU: Nine credits per semester for doctoral students
• MSU: 10 credits waived in fall and spring semesters
• CMU: Varies by department. Some GAs are paying for several credit hours
• WSU: 10 credits in fall and spring semesters
• U-M: Unlimited tuition waiver since the contract negotiation in 1987
Interim GSU President and Ferndale graduate student Alyssa Warshay said it needs to make administration see what the big deal is.
“We all want the same thing for graduate assistants at CMU — health care, full tuition remission, job security and living wages. The administration does not take us seriously as employees,” she said.
Cox said schools such as Michigan State University pay 70 percent of insurance for dependents, while CMU students are left to find health insurance on their own.
Michigan State University graduate student and Graduate Employees Union president Elizabeth Pellerito drove from Lansing to show support to the graduate students and encourage them to continue bargaining with administration.
“At MSU, we got a 3 percent wage increase last year, our health care is paid for and we’re up here because we know you guys work hard. You deserve the same things we get, and you’re going to get it,” Pellerito said.
Sarah Lanius, American Federation of Teachers of Michigan and GSU staff organizer, said all the colleges mentioned during the rally — MSU, University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University — have GSUs and have made drastic improvements in their health care packages, wages and better training for teachers. CMU needs that too, she said.
“The cost of living increases and wages should increase — you’re sort of taking a hit if not being able to keep up with cost of living,” Lanius said.
Warshay said graduate assistants are hard-working students and struggle just like anyone else in tough economic times.
“We are needed at CMU and we have needs, too — demand tuition remission and demand the respect that we deserve,” Warshay said.
Ads
Chatter
Guest: The Events Center renovation/expansion was approved by the Board in 2010. S
Serentine: So pretty much any recent alumni will probably now not attend because their
Spectator: I'd rather Zeigler gets hurt chasing a ball into a bench than watch him put
CMU22: Is this some kind of sick joke??? Who goes 3-9 and 3-9 and gets a year A
Jenny: "Biggest mistake liberals made in 2008----not going with Hillary Clinton