History of the GEO
The Graduate Employee Organization of Montana State University (GEO) was officially recognized in late 2011, however, the path towards unionizing began years prior. Around 2009, a group of graduate research and teaching assistants were growing increasingly concerned with the lack of graduate employee input at the university level, especially in regards to the changing living conditions in the Bozeman area and the pressures these changes placed on working graduate employees. These employees contacted the graduate dean hoping to begin a dialogue about these concerns and potential fixes to the growing cost-of-living and health insurance. In response, the university explained that these proposals could not be under the current situation and if they wanted these addressed, they would have to form a union—and they set out to do just that.
Over the next year, a growing group of graduate employees began work with the established state union, Montana Education Association-Montana Federation of Teachers (MEA-MFT), and it’s national affiliates, the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), to organize graduate research and teaching assistants to take control of their working conditions. The hard work of graduate employees and union organizers culminated in a vote for unionization in 2010. This democratic vote was passed with overwhelming support to form a union of graduate employees—the GEO. In response, the University went against the voice of graduate employees and denied national precedent, claiming graduate employees were not allowed to form a union.
Despite the obvious evidence to contrary, the university appealed the graduate employee unionization vote to the Montana labor board on the grounds that graduate employees were not ‘employees.’ Upon a hearing, the university proceeded to dismiss and denigrate the role of graduate employees played in the instruction and research at the university, claiming it unimportant and not classified at the level of employment. Yet, the Montana labor board rebuffed the university’s appeal, upholding the graduate employees' vote. However, the university held to their claim against graduate employee unionization, filing another formal appeal to the labor board’s decision. This would lead to a 20 month legal battle between the university and the GEO.
During this time, the GEO, still without formal recognition, continued to fight for the rights of graduate employees. The work and perseverance of graduate employees, many of whom had since left the university, was finally recognized in late 2011. Through a formal agreement of understanding between the GEO and the university, the university agreed to acknowledge the voice of graduate employees and formally recognize their right to organize and collectively bargain their benefits and working conditions.