FAQs

Any MSU graduate student can be a member of GEU. Anyone employed at MSU as a Teaching Assistant is a member of our Collective Bargaining Unit. Any graduate student who has no funding or funding through a GA or RA position is eligible to join the GEU as an Associate Member.

Collective Bargaining Unit refers to the group of employees that are directly represented by a Union. In the case of the GEU it refers to all graduate Teaching Assistants at MSU. Up until recently, state labor laws denied graduate Research Assistants (RAs), Fellows, and Teaching Exempt the collective bargaining rights afforded other public employees. While Research Assistants have always been an important part of GEU, this recent change in labor law means that RAs are now eligible for their own representation. If you are interested in learning more about RA organizing, contact geu@geuatmsu.org.

No, you are not. Due to state laws GEU can only enroll members who sign a union card. You can sign your union card here!

Yes, all graduate employees at MSU can work with GEU to understand and navigate the grievance process. Contact member defense at defense@geuatmsu.org

Yes, all graduate employees who are members of the GEU (TA member or associate member) are eligible and encouraged to apply for a solidarity grant when in need. More information on this page

When you are appointed as a TA you are in an unionized position and a part of GEU’s collective bargaining unit.  As such you are directly defended by the contract negotiated between the GEU and MSU.  Other forms of appointments (such as RAs or Fellows) are not unionized and do not work under the GEU-MSU contract.  For TAs, MSU is under a strict, legal obligation to offer the salary and benefits negotiated by the GEU, which can be defended with the grievance and arbitration procedure.

The salary levels and benefits that are offered to RAs and Fellows tend to be the same as for the TAs, but the university is under no legal obligation to do so.  A common example of a difference between the benefits offered RAs and TAs is the Tuition Credit Pool, which is a benefit the GEU fought hard to get and can only accessed by TAs.

Teaching Assistant (TA)

Research Assistant (RA) or other graduate assistant (GA) position not covered by the collective bargaining agreement between GEU and MSU (for example, an Assistant Community Director for REHS) – you have an assistantship that waives your 9 credit hours of tuition, but you are not a TA.

Fellow (for example, if you have the Dissertation Completion Fellowship)

Teaching-Exempt (or Teaching-Excluded) Graduate Assistant (TE) – you are an employee who is not required to teach or work on a specific research project for your funding (for example, you may work in a tutoring center). In many departments, first-year students are teaching-exempt.

GEU will recognize any members of the union, whether TA Members or Associate Members, as members. We will work to defend you, support you, and fight for fair working conditions for you.

However, state laws in Michigan state that our employer, MSU, is allowed to NOT recognize RAs as members of unions. Therefore, sometimes when we try to defend our Associate Members, we have limited powers against the employer who is allowed to discriminate between TAs and RAs and recognize only TAs as covered by our collective bargaining agreement.

Use the flow chart below to see how your appointment affects your membership and benefits.

Membership applies to the semesters that you are appointed as a TA. Becoming a member as a TA is as easy as signing a membership card. As a TA-member your dues will automatically be deducted from your paychecks during the time that you are teaching.

Associate membership applies the semesters when you are not teaching. To become an associate member please go to our website here. Associate memberships have to be renewed every semester.

It’s easy. Just fill out the union membership card 1) linked here on our website 2) that came in the mail or 3) that came from your department. If you don’t have one, visit this page, email geu@geuatmsu.org or and we’ll get one to you.

You can become an associate member by clicking on this link here to join on our website for just $40/semester.

If you signed up for the union while you were a TA and then you switched to be appointed as an RA in a subsequent semester, then you are no longer a dues-paying member once you become an RA because MSU’s payroll will no longer be deducting 1.6% from your gross pay as your union dues. You would have to sign up as an Associate Member for $40/semester at that point, and your Associate membership would expire at the end of the semester in which you signed up.

• If you were an RA when you signed up for the union as an Associate Member but then you were appointed to a TA position before your 1 year of Associate Membership expired, then you are eligible for a refund at a prorated amount of your Associate membership. (You must e-mail the Treasurer at treasurer@geuatmsu.org and ask for the refund.) You may then sign up for the union at the 1.6% dues rate and receive full membership benefits as a TA member of GEU.
  • If you are switching from RA to TA and you have already been a dues-paying TA member in the past, then MSU payroll is supposed to resume your same payroll deduction so that you are still a TA member as you were before. Sometimes MSU payroll messes this up, so if you notice that you are not having dues deducted from your paycheck but you want to be a union member, please contact us
    to let us know about the issue, and feel free to sign up again!
• You can always ask your department Steward if you are a current member, or you can e-mail membership@geuatmsu.org to ask!

Yes!

The GEU is for all MSU graduate students. You can join – and be active – in the GEU with no fear of repercussions. In the history of the GEU, no international student has had any problems with the university with her visa status as a result of her involvement with the Union. Furthermore, it is against the law for the university to discriminate against anyone as a result of her union activity, and union activity cannot be taken into account when the INS considers your visa.

The GEU is here to help protect and represent you, and is the best resource for you if you run into complications with your job. By getting involved, you can make sure that the GEU can represent the full diversity of the union!

The GEU has an International Students Committee which is run by and works for international student employees at MSU. Contact them at international@geuatmsu.org

If you have an issue you’d like to see the GEU membership address at a meeting, contact your department steward and ask them to forward your agenda item to the GEU Executive Board for inclusion in the meeting agenda. You can also contact the GEU office directly by email geu@geuatmsu.org.

If you feel you have a grievance please email defense@geuatmsu.org.

Your dues enable the union to negotiate contracts by paying for professional staff, rent, and supplies. Paying union dues is one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

For TAs: Dues are 1.6% of your gross salary during the semesters you have a TA appointment and are automatically deducted from your paycheck after you sign a membership card.

For Associate members: Annual dues are just $40/semester. You can pay directly by either check or credit card on our website here.