On Sept. 17, the Graduate Employees Union (GEU) filed for arbitration against MSU on the behalf of about 330 teaching assistant’s (TA’s) who believe they were shorted a sum of $66,000.
The GEU stated that the TA’s had been inadequately paid for their time working between May 13 and May 15 of this year.
During this three-day period, there was an overlap between the spring and summer semesters where the TA’s had to work double shifts. Similar overlaps took place in the spring and summer semesters of 2012, and again in the summer and fall semesters of that year.
These supposed overlaps prompted the GEU to take action. This was stalled by MSU who denied the GEU’s formal grievance. The GEU then filed for arbitration, the process of bringing a third party into a dispute to settle a matter.
The paychecks that each TA was allegedly shorted added up to approximately $200 per person, or $66,000 collectively. This collective amount is less than it costs for two in-state MSU students to graduate.
While might not seem like much compared to university’s million-dollar-plus budget, to the average college student trying to pay their rent for that month, it could cut a huge chunk out of their pockets.
Regardless of these early stages of the argument, some form of concern should be raised for the TA’s. Whether it be five cents per paycheck or $500 per paycheck, money is money. Hard work and time on-the-clock should be compensated for.
The university has yet to provide any explanation. Early statements from the university stated that the issue was void as the TA’s were properly paid.
However, President of MSU, Lou Anna K. Simon, offered some insight into what the discrepancy may lead GEU into.
“GEU went through the first stages of dispute resolution as indicated in the contract, and they didn’t reach a resolution.” Simon said. “Arbitration is the next step.”
Simon explained that the university did not breach the letter of the contract within the collective bargaining agreement made in May of 2011. Currently, the contract is instated until May 2015.
This leaves the potential for more discrepancies in the coming years, as similar situations of overlap are scheduled to occur, making it all the more crucial for a timely resolution to be agreed upon by all parties.
Arbitration or not, GEU has a hard-fought battle on their hands. Taking a stance against any big institution could prove troublesome.
“This year was treated like any other year,” Simon said regarding the contract. “We are prepared for arbitration.”
Further discussion and public attention must be spent following the situation as the arbitration process moves forward
It’s too early to tell who is right or wrong here, but it’s a situation that deserves the attention of the whole university, faculty and students, as this will set a precedent for future cases of this sort.