Solidarity with GEO: Federal Government Attack on Labor Solidarity Movement

On August 11, 2026, the federal government served a federal grand jury subpoena to the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) Local 3550, the graduate workers union at the University of Michigan . The subpoena demands a huge swath of documents dating back to January 2023; like many subpoenas, this scope is incredibly broad and the intent to gather this information is unclear. The subpoena was issued by prosecutor Maggie Smith and FBI special agent Kara Phipps, who are connected with the Michigan 8 case that is seeking to criminalize protest activity and escalate the use of federal criminal charges against protest. In addition, the subpoena was signed the day  we defeated politically motivated and baseless charges against our Union President, Hiab Teshome.

This is the latest attempt within a broader effort to intimidate and repress GEO, and is part of the larger campaign the Trump administration is taking against organized labor and resistance. GEO is a proponent of labor and Palestine solidarity, and has organized in ways that the federal government no doubt finds detestable—and 100% constitutionally protected. From Ann Arbor to Prairieland to Minnesota to New York, the federal government and their allies have declared war on anyone resisting the rising tide of fascism. In the NSPM-7 era, the Trump administration has already come after workers connected with the Minnesota 15 who have organized against ICE, and now they are coming for GEO for standing in solidarity with targets of political repression. Whether you resist ICE, speak out against genocide, or are dedicated labor organizers,  they are coming for us all—if not now, then soon. 

It is not the first time the labor movement has come under attack by the federal government. The American labor movement was born in struggle and repression of the worst type.  Time and again, the federal government has stepped in to execute the most extreme, cruel forms of workplace repression on behalf of our Bosses. Just as labor organizers have done for over a century, we must remember that  an injury to one, is an injury to all. The Trump administration is organized and views various repression efforts as one singular offensive. They know this is an attack on workers, an attack on the people, for them this is one big campaign.  Together, we must be organized and mount one defense across workers and unions as a unified labor movement to fight back and defeat this regime.

No matter where you are coming from in our movement, we can be united by the disgust we feel for a regime as violent as the Trump administration attempting to intimidate workers. This is just one battle in a much larger war, one that no one singular member can win alone,  but solidarity makes us strong. There is no doubt that we will win; we have defeated every other attempt to beat down the labor movement, but this is only possible together.  We ask you to stand with us as we fight to protect our members and movement and rise to the moment as the Trump Administration intensifies its attacks on workers.

Solidarity Forever.