A doctor in bloody scrubs, an assortment of angels and a girl sporting bandages around her head and arm hoisted signs taped to crutches as they chanted, "One, two, three, four. Kick Chickering out the door" and "Five, six, seven, eight. Get ready to negotiate."
Members of the Graduate Employees Union picketed from Olin Health Center to the Administration Building on Wednesday to raise awareness about the deficiencies they see in their health care.
"Chickering health insurance leaves a lot to be desired," GEU Vice President Melissa Fore said. "Chickering doesn't cover birth control, dental or vision. They just don't come through for us."
Fore, dressed as a doctor holding a sign that read, "Sorry, you're not covered," said the "Health Scare Horrors Rally" was a combination of the Halloween holiday and the bargaining team beginning negotiations for a new contract on Tuesday.
"We hope the administration sees that we're a unified front," Fore said. "We want to show support for the bargaining team's platform. Other MSU employees have comprehensive health care, and we are wondering why we don't."
The Chickering Group insures both undergraduate and graduate students. However, gaps in coverage such as dental, vision and dependents cause problems for teaching assistants, GEU Information Officer Sam Williams said.
Chickering does not suit graduate student needs, GEU member Mazen Haydar said.
"Chickering is good for undergraduate students, but not for families, and many teaching assistants have families," Haydar said. "I go for a basic eye checkup and it costs me $50, and Chickering doesn't help at all. For God's sake, we are graduate students; we need a vision plan because we do study a lot."
Signs reading "How can I grade papers when I can't see?" reinforced Haydar's point.
Other GEU members found fault with Chickering's family-planning coverage.
"I'm generally a healthy person, but family planning is definitely an issue for me and many other graduate students," GEU member Julie Hartman said.
Pam Beemer, the assistant vice president for human resources, said GEU agreed to insurance from The Chickering Group when the first contract was negotiated.
"The benefits in the contract were agreed upon by GEU three years ago," Beemer said. "That they might want more is subject to the bargaining team. Health care is a concern for all employers and we work very hard to make sure it is as affordable as possible."
GEU surveyed its members to learn what issues the bargaining team should focus on and, "over and over again," it was health care, Fore said. The union is hoping the administration also will focus on improving health care.
