University of Michigan graduate employees vote to end strike, return to work Thursday

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Graduate employees at the University of Michigan voted to end a strike against the school Wednesday night after members approved a second proposal sent to them by administrators.

After walking off the job Sept. 8 over concerns regarding the safety of staff and graduate students on campus, the Graduate Employee's Organization, which represents more than 2,000 workers, overwhelmingly approved the offer.

It includes additional funding for daycare and more transparent testing protocols for COVID-19.

UofM graduate employees vote to end strike against administration

The Graduate Employee's Organization at the University of Michigan has voted to end its strike and accept the school's offer which included dropping a legal threat that administrators at considered against the union.

"By withholding our labor, building coalitions, and making our power impossible to ignore, we forced the university to give us an offer with substantive progress toward a safe and just campus," read a statement by the organization.

A university spokesperson said the school was pleased the two could come to an agreement.

Tensions between the two groups increased after the GAO rejected the school's first proposal. The university sought a court injunction against its members by appealing to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court in hopes of intervening in the work stoppage.

That move drew the ire of the union, faculty with the school, and even congressional representatives.

The university agreed to retract its lawsuit following the union's approval.

Graduate teachers were back in the classroom on Thursday