NLRB sets April 4-5 as election dates

February 28, 2022
Melissa Nobles, Chancellor | Ian A. Waitz, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education |

Highlights

  • April 4–5 will be the dates for an NLRB-run election to decide whether some MIT graduate students will form a union affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE).
  • The proposed union now includes about 3,750 of MIT’s 7,000 graduate students: The UE has decided to exclude the rest, including all students funded solely by fellowships.
  • With the election set, MIT is now required to provide the UE and NLRB with email and home addresses, as well as phone numbers, for all graduate students in the potential bargaining unit.
  • MIT’s leaders urge all eligible students to vote in this secret-ballot election: The outcome will be determined by a simple majority of those who vote, but will be binding on both voters and non-voters in the proposed bargaining unit, as well as future MIT students.

To MIT graduate students,

We write to share the news that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has set April 4–5 as the dates for its on-campus election to determine whether some 3,750 of MIT’s graduate students will form a union associated with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE).

We are pleased that election dates have been set. We feel it’s fundamentally important that every eligible graduate student be given the opportunity to make their voice heard on this important matter.

Over the course of this month, the UE has scaled back its proposed bargaining unit, which now includes about 3,750 of MIT’s 7,000 graduate students. As we noted in our letter yesterday, the UE excluded more than 2,000 students from its bargaining unit in its initial filing earlier this month with the NLRB. Then, in recent days, the UE decided to remove 900 graduate students on full MIT fellowships. The union has said that the NLRB will make a ruling on these students after the election. That is inaccurate. All fellows have been excluded and are not part of the UE's proposed bargaining unit.

These developments underscore the realities of graduate student unionization, and the limitations of the collective bargaining process that the UE seeks to put in place at MIT:

  • Collective bargaining seldom entails one side getting everything it wants. In this case, to make gains toward its goal of an election early this spring, the UE made concessions on which students to include in its proposed union. 
  • The UE’s proposed union won’t serve or represent all of our graduate students. Under our collaborative model, graduate students have always had a secure seat at MIT’s table on issues affecting them, and all students have an equal opportunity to voice their priorities. But if the UE’s union is put in place, it will divide our graduate student population almost in half. With the UE at the table, an outside party with almost no experience in academia will be inserted into negotiations on behalf of only some of our graduate students, bargaining on only some topics, such as stipends and work hours.

Now that the election has been set, MIT is required by federal law and subpoena to share personal phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses with the UE and NLRB by Wednesday for each of the 3,750 graduate students who are eligible to vote. The UE will be able to use this personal information to assist in their campaign efforts, and those of you who are eligible to vote will receive information from the NLRB on voting in this election.

We know that these developments may be surprising or upsetting for students on both sides of this debate. Some of you may have been hoping to vote in this election. Others may have hoped an election would not come to pass. We understand that there are strong views for and against unionization on our campus. It's important that, in the weeks leading up to the election, we create spaces for open, respectful dialogue about this consequential decision.

As this April election comes into view, we again urge you to become as informed as possible. Take the time to learn about this process, so that you are voting with eyes wide open. Carefully weigh the positions of MIT's leadership, the MIT graduate students who are opposed to the UE, and the MIT graduate students who are working with the UE.

Come April, it is essential that every eligible student make it a priority to vote in this important election. Its outcome will be determined by a simple majority of those who vote, but will be binding on both voters and non-voters in the proposed bargaining unit.

Sincerely,

Melissa Nobles
Chancellor

Ian A. Waitz
Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education