Op/Ed Students Must Stand with Lecturers
By Zach Schimel
About Me
My name is Zach Schimel and I am an undergraduate freshman at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). I am also the president and founder of a pro-worker political organization on campus called People’s Michigan.
What is LEO bargaining for?
The LEO Bargaining Kickoff Rally in Ann Arbor took place on Friday, October 27th, on the Diag. As I arrived, I could feel the excitement in the air. The LEO members I talked to all expressed that they were ready for change, and supporters from the community were ready to support them. As we marched towards Palmer Commons, chants such as “Respect the Lecs” and “The workers, united, will never be defeated” rang out from our crowd. The messaging of this rally resembled that of the larger reborn American labor movement, exploited workers finally fighting to take what is rightfully theirs, but why LEO specifically? I attended a meeting where LEO members explained it to student organizers from People’s Michigan and the UMich ACLU, this is what I gathered.
Lecturers are non-tenured instructors who often have the same qualifications as tenured professors, but their salaries and working conditions do not reflect this. Lecturers are paid significantly less than professors, while also lacking the job security that tenure provides. This gets so bad that many lecturers cannot afford to live in the area they teach, causing unnecessarily difficult commutes. Higher education administration understands that by designating lecturers as less than professors, they can save money, and in turn take advantage of their employees. However, the bargaining fight that LEO is engaging in now proves that lecturers know their worth, and they have had enough of being given less. The demands of the union are vast- they range from salary increases in the face of inflation, to increased job security, to eliminating the “no strike” clause in their contract. With the 9th largest endowment in the country, it is clear that the University of Michigan can afford to provide all of these demands to its lecturers, but it simply chooses not to. So, just as students stood in solidarity with the UAW earlier this school year, and with GEO before that, we must again stand with workers in the fight against greed.
How can students help?
In the most general sense, as bargaining picks up we must make it clear that the student body will not support an institution which seeks to exploit its workers, and that we will do everything in our power to help LEO win its fight. There are many ways you can show support for LEO, such as joining the ally listserv to stay up to date and coming to monthly ally meetings. At ally meetings, you will learn more about what LEO is bargaining for, as well as what you can do to help. I attend these meetings, and encourage you to come as well! Additionally, LEO will be hosting actions all throughout the second semester as bargaining intensifies. This will include multiple days of “open bargaining,” in which students and community members can sit in on the discussion, observe contract negotiations at the table, and apply pressure to the university. Open bargaining was very effective during GEO’s strike, as it allowed the community to see the level of power and greed the workers were up against, and it helped to garner support for the union. So, on these days of open bargaining, it is essential that students turn out in large numbers to demonstrate our disapproval of the University’s actions. Further, there are small things you can do to show solidarity. If you see LEO tabling in the Fishbowl, come show support, put a LEO pin on your backpack, a sticker on your water bottle, inform a friend about the struggle, or, you can do quite literally anything else to support the cause. In a fight against such a powerful institution, everything counts.
Labor Solidarity
In the last couple years, the American labor movement has been reborn. With massive waves of unionization at places like Starbucks and Amazon, and already unionized workers winning historic contracts like in the UAW, the power of collective labor is showing its face once again. In this time, it is imperative that we see cross campus labor solidarity. Along with students and other unions on campus, we must stand with LEO, because when someone in labor wins, everyone in labor wins. As students and organizers we must attempt to build this cross-sector labor movement on our campuses, and larger, in our country. Just as workers join unions for the benefit of collective protection, unions should work together in that same way. If we are able to achieve this unique level of solidarity then LEO, and workers all over the country, will experience never seen before victories. Because just like it was said at the bargaining kickoff: “The Workers, United, Will Never Be Defeated!”
Conclusion
In LEO’s struggle for a new contract it will take an all hands on deck effort to ensure maximum success. The University community, the Ann Arbor community, and organized labor, must fully stand behind LEO during this time. A victory for LEO would help cement worker power at the University of Michigan, and would be yet another advancement of the new labor movement. This victory would likely impact lecturers at other universities by giving precedence for their own improved contracts, and therefore has the potential to lift up thousands around the country. The potential impact of this LEO bargaining cycle cannot be overstated, and that is why, as students, we must do everything in our power to ensure success.