Missouri’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the University of Missouri System’s last appeal in a case that would grant the system’s graduate student workers employee status and allow them to unionize.
The decision lets stand a July decision from the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals that graduate students should be considered employees. It was the third consecutive ruling against UM in lower state courts. The system asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the case in September.
The UM System’s request for transfer argued that clarification was necessary on the definition of “employees” under the Missouri Constitution and whether it includes workers whose primary purpose is “academic development.”
The state’s highest court did not issue an opinion along with its one-sentence order denying the system’s appeal.
Graduate leaders view the decision as a victory and validation of their efforts. They made their frustration at UM’s continued appeals clear.
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