When some University of Michigan graduate student research assistants started a drive to unionize about two years ago, they never imagined that their campaign would result in the governor signing a bill to prevent them and other graduate research assistants from organizing at public universities in the state.

But that is what happened earlier this month, when Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill, which says that graduate research assistants at public universities in the state are students and not employees -- and thus ineligible for collective bargaining. (While the National Labor Relations Board governs collective bargaining rights at private institutions, states do so for public colleges and universities.)