Following a full-union vote April 20, the union could vote to hold a one-day walkout where everyone in the union, from teaching assistants to research assistants, would not come to work. While the finer details aren’t worked out yet, the union likely would establish a picket line, said Sandra Schmidt, president of the union.

But will the unions on campus follow? The answer is no, said Wayne Cass, president of the Coalition of Labor Organizations at MSU, an organization of the unions that represent about 7,000 university employees, from secretaries to custodians.

“We have an obligation to perform the tasks we’re required to do under our own contracts. We’re not going to strike ourselves,” Cass said. “We can’t do that, but we can individually show support during legal breaks and lunch hours.”

That is not to say the CLO doesn’t support the graduates’ cause or plans, Cass said.

“The labor respects the integrity of the collective bargaining process and supports all of the union groups when they go to negotiations trying to improve conditions for their membership,” he said.

In addition to the CLO, the union also will have the backing of the Greater Lansing Labor Council, a group consisting of 40 different locals that work on campus, ranging from public employee unions to building trade.

“We believe in what they’re asking for, fair wages and compensation for the work they do at the university,” said Paul Hufnagel, president of the council.

University officials, however, are reluctant to say that the situation will come to a walkout.

“I think MSU teaching assistants are committed enough to their students that they would not put them at risk,” said Karen Klomparens, dean of the Graduate School.

Whether or not the other unions would cross that line would depend on their individual decisions, Hufnagel said.

“It’s decided by a local-to-local basis based on where they decided to have the picket lines and what they do,” he said. “Initially, the various unions that are a member of the council that work on campus will show support for the union and if the picket lines are put in the proper places, they’ll honor them and not cross.”

Though both labor organizations have pledged their support, the exact nature of that support remains to be seen, Schmidt said.

“It looks different across the board,” she said. “For some unions that means just wearing a T-shirt, or showing that you’re a union supporter.

“Some people may choose not to cross the picket line, while others would just wear a shirt supporting the union and be visual.”