Extension has employees stationed in each county in Michigan, and Board Chair Brianna Scott noted in a press conference after the meeting that Extension is the “footprint” of MSU. 

Still, concerns over insufficient wages drove a dozen extension employees from across the state to East Lansing on Friday to direct their complaints to the board.

‘We’ve put in the miles’

Extension employees said they traveled from across the state to speak at the board meeting during the public comment period, some driving hours to be present. Decked in matching blue shirts, MSU Extension United members stood from their seats in solidarity while speakers shared their grievances. 

Each of the 12 public speakers from Extension shared similar concerns: That management has been rewarded with raises year after year, while rank-and-file employees are given small bumps to their already low salaries. 

Funding from MSU for Extension is only enough to cover administrative salaries, leaving low-level extension employees to generate their own salaries, according to a pamphlet handed out by the union and verified by UNTF President Victor Rodriguez-Pereira. 

“We have put in the miles, and now we need the administration to meet us at the destination. Every day I hear from colleagues, forced to choose between their passion for Extension and their ability to pay rent,” Finance and Homeownership Extension Educator Carrie Grishaber said during public comment. 

According to a packet handed out to board members by MSU Extension United, in fiscal year 2026, Extension will make up only .8% of MSU’s budget. 

“If we can ensure MSU Extension employees are fairly compensated for the important work that we do every day, we'll retain experienced employees and attract new talent in support of the land grant mission for years to come,” said Rob Sirrine, an Extension community food systems educator.

Contract negotiations

MSU Extension union members said the union and MSU are getting close to finalizing a contract that satisfies each party. However, negotiations have slowed when the topic of compensation arose, they said.

The offer that MSU presented to Extension United members felt “profoundly unserious given the stakes,” Grishaber said.

Extension employees' frustrations with wages surround a “merit-based system” which determines whether employees will receive a raise, Extension United member Eric Walcott said. 

“There’s not always perfect clarity on what it takes to earn a certain score on your review, and then not consistency in terms of what that translates into a raise,” he added.

This system, which Walcott said has been in place for the 10 years he has worked at Extension, has created frustration among employees.

Although Walcott said he thinks the union is close to reaching an agreement with the university, he said the negotiations, which began productively, slowed down once the matter of compensation came up in discussions.

“I think we really are at the point where we need administration to meet us where we are, and provide us with a contract that recognizes the value of the work that we do, and that provides raises at ratification,” Walcott said.

Rodriguez-Pereira, who said negotiations began in June of last year, recognized that compensation is one of “the most difficult things to settle”. 

“But it seems that the university is either unwilling or unable to pay a fair compensation to these folks,” he added. 

Rodriguez-Pereira said MSU has been arguing that low wages are tied to issues outside of its control as an institution, which he understands, but stressed that there is much the university could do to “make up for those issues”. He added that the contract could be settled soon, depending on whether MSU proposes an offer that shows it values Extension employees.

MSU Board Chair Brianna Scott appeared receptive to Extension employees' concerns regarding fair wages.

“We recognize that people need to have a living wage,” she said. “As a trustee, I think the most important thing for me is to know that they are being treated fairly, and that we're going into this with good faith, and that we are treating them respectfully in this process.”

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said he couldn’t share details about contract bargaining, but emphasized that the university is working hard to “get this to everyone's satisfaction”.