Graduate Students United (GSU) members are likely to strike before the end of the quarter; 1,134 members voted to authorize industrial action, while 112 voted against, GSU organizers confirmed Monday evening. Monday’s result is perhaps the starkest escalation yet of a long-simmering conflict between GSU and University administration.

The passage of the vote, which ran between last Wednesday and Sunday evening, authorizes GSU to take part in its first-ever industrial action. Responding to a request for inquiry from The Maroon, GSU organizers explained that there were two specific questions on the ballot: “the first asked members if they authorized an industrial action” while “the second invited people to take part in a committee that will make decisions about the conduct of the action.”

The specifics of an industrial action—including when it would occur and what it would look like—depend on GSU members themselves, who will democratically determine what the work action will involve through group discussions. In conversations with The Maroon last week, individual GSU members expressed private support for work stoppage strategies that included not holding class, leaving papers ungraded, and encouraging solidarity actions from undergraduates.

Grad students at UChicago voted by an enormous margin—91% in favor—to go on strike. The administration can still recognize our union and keep us from having to withhold our labor, but we’re ready to show you our collective power if not. ✊