U of M Grad Student Teachers to Picket ANN ARBOR (Michigan Radio) -


University of Michigan graduate students plan to walk picket lines tomorrow.

The typical grad student spends more than 15 hours a week teaching in U of M classrooms.

17 hundred part time instructors have been negotiating a new contract since November.

Graduate Employees Organization president Helen Ho says progress is being made.

"We get paid 781 dollars less than the university says it costs to attend the University of Michigan for 8 months. That's really all we're asking for, and covering the cost of inflation," says Ho.

Grad student instructors do get a full tuition waiver, as part of their benefits package.

The university says it continues to negotiate with the grad students union. © Copyright 2009, Michigan Radio