University of Michigan's lecturers are planning to go on strike next week, if they can't get a new contract by Sunday.
U of M and the university's Lecturers Employee Organization have been in negotiations on a contract for months.
The union has been trying to get the starting salary for lecturers raised to around $60,000 or about double the current amount.
Ian Robinson is the union's president. He says the university has had massive budget surpluses for the past decade.
"These last two years it’s been over $500 million,” says Robinson. “The kinds of demands we’re asking for are a fraction of that amount, so they easily have the money to meet our demands."
U of M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald issued a statement saying there is no need for a strike and that holding one now would have a negative impact on students.
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— Taylor Pinson is a writer/reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him studio@wemu.org
