University of Michigan grad student says she was fired for backing unionization effort

Updated story: University of Michigan graduate students who back unionization say discrimination not uncommon

A University of Michigan graduate student says she lost her research funding and was dismissed from her academic program for supporting efforts to unionize graduate student research assistants, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The university denies that is what happened.

Jennifer Dibbern, who told the Free Press she received an e-mail from a professor asking her to stop supporting unionization or else, is expected to discuss her dispute with the university at a news conference today at noon outside the College of Engineering, the newspaper reported.

GSRAs have been trying to unionize for months. Their attempt initially received criticism from U-M administrators, but the school's Board of Regents voted in May to approve GSRAs right to unionize.

After the regents' vote, GSRAs sought permission from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission to unionize, but were initially denied. A group of GSRAs and advocates appealed that denial. MERC has assigned the matter to an administrative law judge.