After a year of negotiations, Graduate Employees Union and university officials reached agreement on a three-year contract with increased health care and wage benefits for MSU’s graduate employees.
We hope this deal provides needed relief to MSU’s teaching assistants, and also helps make this university more competitive in the hunt for the best graduate students.
Under terms of the contract, graduate employees will receive a 3.5 percent wage increase retroactive to the beginning of the year, in addition to a 2 percent increase for 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years, and a 3 percent increase in 2004-05.
Like the thousands of undergraduate students at MSU, graduate employees rely on these wages and benefits to help them pay for their educations and support their families. Some teaching assistants, like many students, are forced to take on more than one job, leaving less time to focus on teaching and classes. Allowing for continued focus can only allow for higher quality in the classroom.
Unfortunately, the struggle for this contract came to a near breaking point as finals approached. The agreement was reached April 26, just days before exams, and with the threat of a strike leaving students wondering about papers, tests and exam dates.
However, although a one-day strike and threat of a further work stoppage left uncertainty during a crucial academic time, the positive outcome was a much-needed conclusion.
Teaching assistants help MSU achieve the high standard of education we all are accustomed to, and more competitive wages and benefits should help the university make further strides.
Like the university’s efforts to increase faculty salaries, this contract should help attract high quality graduate employees to make MSU a better place to work and, most importantly, learn.
