The nation's oldest graduate assistant unions are at the universities of Michigan and Wisconsin-Madison. Because of the protections of Minnesota law, the situation here is likely to produce the benefits of union recognition without the costs of a lengthy battle to get there. It could happen. By law though, graduate assistants and University administrators would first have to go through negotiations, followed by 45 days of mediation. Then a majority of graduate assistants would have to vote to strike.
Strikes do happen, but they are exceedingly rare.
Less than 1 percent of all union contract negotiations lead to strikes. Nearly all strikes by graduate assistant unions, including all of the long ones, have involved unions whose right to recognition is being denied. Even in California, the recent strike lasted just four days and did not disrupt final exams. The thousands of graduate assistants who have signed union authorization cards have many different reasons for choosing a union. Some are primarily concerned with material conditions, because they can't pay their rent or buy health insurance for their children.