Organizers publicly announced their intention to unionize in June 2024, initially deciding to go through a university process that allows unions to expedite the typical election process for union certification by receiving direct recognition from MSU.

But after claiming MSU’s arbitrators were purposely delaying important meetings and withholding information, union organizers decided earlier this month to go through the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) instead.

The MERC election concluded earlier this week, successfully establishing two new bargaining units that will be represented by the Union of Non-Tenure Track Faculty.

The first unit consists of MSU Extension’s coordinators and instructors; 72 employees voted yes and 18 voted no to forming the unit, according to union organizer Jeremy Jubenville, who works as a floriculture and greenhouse educator in the extension program.

The second unit is for educators and specialists; 113 voted yes and 39 voted no to forming the unit, according to Jubenville.

"I’m feeling fantastic, I'm feeling electric," Jubenville said. "This was an overwhelming majority."

MSU Extension partners with counties throughout Michigan to provide educational services. Workers assist community members in agriculture, business development, health care and tourism, among many other things. 

Union members argue that their wages haven’t kept up with the cost of living, merit-based raises are awarded subjectively, criteria for performance evaluations is unclear and subjective, and employees belonging to marginalized groups are left out of important conversations, according to promotional material shared with The State News.

MSU spokesperson Amber McCann said that the university will work together with the union to create a bargaining agreement.

"We look forward to a collaborative relationship focused on problem-solving, as we have established with our other union-represented employees on campus," McCann wrote in a statement to The State News.