Graduate Student Union Negotiations Set to Begin

Dear colleagues and students,

Tomorrow (April 24), MIT will begin collective bargaining negotiations with the MIT Graduate Student Union and United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (MIT GSU-UE) toward a new contract. We write today to share an update on how we plan to approach these negotiations.

Our commitment to good-faith negotiations and MIT’s core mission

The MIT administration and the MIT GSU-UE share many of the same goals when it comes to supporting the well-being and success of our graduate students.

These negotiations, which will focus on the terms and conditions of employment for the members of the bargaining unit, represent an opportunity to build on the framework established in our current collective bargaining agreement and to continue the progress we’ve been making to improve the graduate student experience. 

We remain committed to bargaining in good faith. And we are hopeful that the road to a new contract will be as smooth and efficient as possible.

That said, reaching a new collective bargaining agreement between a graduate student union and an institution of higher education can take many months, and good-faith disagreements between the two sides are certainly to be expected.

Throughout the negotiations, MIT will uphold its responsibility to provide the best possible educational and research experiences to all students, an obligation that is at the heart of our mission as an academic institution. MIT has approximately 12,000 students — 7,255 of whom are graduate students — and the union represents about 3,300 of them.

We will continue to serve the collective best interests of every student, both those who are represented by the union and those who are not, and will not agree to terms that will undermine our academic or research missions. Indeed, as this is a labor bargaining process, we do not intend to negotiate on academic matters with the union.

In closing

Though our current contract with the MIT GSU-UE is set to expire on May 31, most of the terms of that contract will remain in effect until a new contract is signed. We will communicate any changes that result from our negotiations as they are finalized.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to gradunionquestions@mit.edu for assistance or visit grad-union.mit.edu for information about the bargaining process.

Sincerely,

Dave

David L. Darmofal
Vice Chancellor for Graduate and Undergraduate Education
Jerome B. Wiesner Professor