GEO Strikes! Wire the Pinkertons!

The GEO haven't chosen to strike, only to hold a 2 day walkout in order to show how the University cannot function without them. This comes as GEO is asking for a 9 percent wage increase. I personally feel that giving graduate students free tuition in exchange for teaching a class seems reasonably fair. The University couldn't function without the relatively low cost work that GSI's do. I don't know how much GSI's have to work in a given week or what they make per hour. Whether or not they deserve a pay increase is not the point. The point is that the entire walkout only hurts students. I don't know the details of how the GSI system works or what their payment is like but I'll just pretend I do. I could be very wrong.

Although I have never taken a class, I consider game theory a hobby of mine. I have produced a payoff matrix for both sides. The numbers are arbitrary but show how each outcome might be perceived by each side (I think). Each side is really only interested in themselves. The first number is the University's score, the second is the GEO score. The higher the number the better.

		GEO
		Soft	Medium	Hard
U of M	Soft	Not Probable	GEO gets what it wants 2,8	GEO really gets what it wants 0,10
	Medium	Not Probable	Compromise 5,5	GEO walks out, Michigan Caves; 2, 7
	Hard	Not Probable	GEO walks out then caves; 6,2	Strike -3, -3

The GEO appears to have come hard to the table by demanding a 9% increase, it is clear that they won't play soft. The University countered with 3% which leads me to believe that they are playing medium to hard ball. If the University knows that GEO is playing hardball they should play medium ball for the best results.

The point is that if the GEO really wants these raises and is willing to strike for them, eventually the University will have to cave because - and I love this - when GEO strikes they still get to go to class. The University doesn't stop teaching grad courses even when the GEO is on strike. So, in essence since they get paid with tuition they are still getting paid, in a way. There is one aspect of this that isn't included in the chart, the University won't lose any revenue during a walk out. I am not getting a tuition reimbursement during this. There state and federal funding will continue. This is one of the things that really bothers me about this.

GSI's don't have to go to work, the University runs as normal, and who loses? The students. An out of state student taking 16 credit hours pays $130 per credit hour per week [33,500$/(16 weeks * 16 hours per week)]. Yeah, every time an out of state student misses a 2 hour lecture they are throwing away $260 of knowledge in a roundabout kind of way. So when my classes are canceled I am getting less education but still paying the same amount. It bothers me that I am going to learn less because the GSI feel they aren't being paid enough.

When GSI's take away from class time to explain why they are striking I get so angry. I don't care about their problems. Every one has problems, they shouldn't waste my time because they feel they deserve more money. I don't pay tuition to listen to them complain. Plus, if they do get the pay increases guess who subsidizes it. The students tuition. I cannot stand a GSI taking away from class time to try to get me to support the idea that they should get paid more at my expense.