Session Updates

Dear graduate workers,
 

Today, SEIU 32BJ, the union representing facilities workers at MIT, is bargaining with the MIT administration.

32BJ represents the essential workers who keep MIT running. They are the custodians, electricians, mechanics, and more who serve our campus. Without these workers, the daily operations of MIT would cease to function and we would not be able to pursue our research. 

32BJ’s contract expires today. Instead of collaborating to help meet the needs of these essential workers, MIT is stalling 32BJ’s negotiations with the same tactics they are using against our union.

32BJ presented its full economic package (proposals on wages, leave, and economic benefits) on the very first day of bargaining. 35 days later, MIT has yet to respond. On top of that, MIT is trying to take away their long-held benefits and protections, ranging from removing guaranteed overtime pay to cutting the ~$500 subsidy for workers that pick up hazardous hypodermic needles from our campus.


Again and again, MIT weaponizes the bargaining process to delay and deny necessary benefits to the workers that make our Institute run.

32BJ and our union have both approached the bargaining process with ready proposals and membership testimonial to the importance of our contract protections. MIT has approached both bargaining tables with denials and delays. 

The MIT administration has the resources to support the MIT community and they choose not to. 


How can you support MIT’s facilities workers?

To start, you can sign this petition to tangibly show MIT that 32BJ is supported by grad workers. Ask your co-workers to sign, too! And if you see the connection between our contract fights, you should join the Contract Action Team. 
 

In solidarity,

UE 256 Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Dear fellow graduate worker,
 

Yesterday, we proposed our opening economic package on compensation, leaves, and benefits. 

Key Highlights:

• Raises of 10% in 2026, 3% in 2027, and 3% in 2028 which address inflation

• International workers immigration assistance fund

• Vacation time that does not restrict workers to only 5 days per appointment period

• Health insurance coverage for dependents and centralized fund for reimbursing non-covered care

Read the bargaining tracker for all of the language.

By MIT’s own living wage calculator, grad student workers make 76% of the minimum standard of living in the Cambridge-Boston area. The GSC cost of living survey indicated that grad students would need to make $60,000 per year to afford our average rent without being rent burdened. 

To answer the tangible needs of grad workers, we are asking for a 10% raise (backdated to June 2026) which is greater than the rate of inflation, along with 3% raises each year for the next two years. 

We proposed that these increases are covered by the central Institute budget, not from grants awarded to PIs. In response to this, MIT’s lead spokesperson asked us “why do you care where the money comes from?” 

As 3rd party negotiators, MIT’s lawyers cannot see our reality: we care because it’s our research. We know how funding sources shape our labs, our projects, our entire academic careers. We know the Trump administration has made funding less predictable, and we expect MIT to help protect PIs and workers from this uncertainty. 

We know MIT has the resources to fund raises centrally. Out of the $5.1Billion MIT spent last year, a 3% raise for all grad workers corresponds to 0.14% of MIT’s operating budget.

 

To add insult to injury, MIT re-asserted open shop and refused to codify assistance for international workers.

MIT claimed that ensuring international workers stay enrolled when they are denied re-entry at the border is a matter that falls under “academic” issues, and therefore they are not required to hear any related proposals. 

MIT has provided a similar excuse to escape discussing our other top issues, namely Fellows inclusion and Academic just cause. Instead of hearing our membership’s concerns and codifying raises for all graduate workers, MIT offered a raise ONLY to fellows. A raise below inflation, which is effectively a pay cut. Bargaining a contract that includes fellows would hold MIT accountable to granting us the raises and protections we deserve, so they refuse. 

Our Union is dedicated to a contract that protects workers. MIT is dedicated to protecting their ability to undercut us. 

MIT is not interested in a productive bargaining process. 

At this point, all of our proposals are on the table. As of yesterday’s bargaining session, MIT has only provided counterproposals to three (3) of our twenty six (26) proposed articles, and none of these counters were related to our membership’s main priorities. 

Without pressure or resistance, MIT admin will continue to not just delay but strip away the rights of fellows, international workers, and MIT grad workers broadly. We secured a good contract in Fall 2023, and we know how to secure an even better one this time around. If you want any of the things we already have or what we are proposing at the table, you need to join the Contract Action Team. 

In solidarity,
UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Happy pride month! 

Today, we heard a presentation from the Gender Identity Initiative (GII) on their updates to MIT’s systems to avoid systemic misgendering and deadnaming, which are changes we won after our grievance and open letter to MIT a few years ago. Immediately after, MIT countered our robust inclusive work environment article with a rejection of almost everything we proposed, and instead:

• Refused to codify the changes to these systems that use our legal sex data

• Refused to add more all gender restrooms 

• Removed the ability to grieve inadequate disability accommodations

This proposal goes against our priority of securing a fair and secure contract for ALL graduate workers.

MIT rejection of contract extension and raises

In response to MIT’s year long contract extension, we counter-proposed an extension for the summer, which would allow us time to come to an agreement on our membership’s urgent priorities. MIT rejected this, saying at the bargaining table that they only offered the extension to buy labor peace for another year.

MIT is only willing to extend the contract for a full year because they know graduate workers are building power. After the strong turnout from last week’s press rally, the administration is worried about what we can win if we continue organizing over the coming months.

We are now without a contract and continue to face stalling from MIT. We know that they will only move if they see us stand up together. This summer is the perfect time to talk to our coworkers and build pressure on MIT. We will need everyone’s participation to win the bargaining priorities that we set forth together, so join the CAT today!!

In solidarity,
UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Last night, our union’s first contract expired. 

Our first contract was the direct result of thousands of MIT grad workers coming together and demanding better for each other. We were willing to strike over a grievance procedure, fair wages, and union security. MIT fought hard against those gains in 2023, and they are fighting them again in 2026, all while claiming to have our best interests in mind.

Since bargaining for our second contract began on April 24th, the MIT administration has stalled, dragged their feet, and refused to seriously engage with our proposals. At the bargaining table, they have arrived late, tried to leave early, and put proposals on the table that not only fail to address our urgent needs, but actually roll back wins from our first contract. They have refused to move on the issues that directly affect grad workers: fellows inclusion, international worker protections, and academic due process.

And it goes further than stalling. MIT has come to the table with a clear objective: to break our union. They want the right to make our health insurance worse, gut our grievance procedure, and dismantle our union shop. 

We want a second contract that reflects, honors, and serves the interests of grad workers. MIT doesn’t want a new contract at all. Last week, MIT proposed a one-year extension of our current contract with none of the improvements we need and only a 3% stipend increase. 

MIT wants us to wait a year. We can't wait. And we WON'T wait. That’s why we are today proposing a shorter, three-month extension to our current contract, which includes a temporary 3% increase while we continue bargaining for the real raises and protections we deserve.

What does working without a contract look like? 
While we’re working without a contract, MIT is legally required to maintain the status quo. That means they can’t cut our pay or benefits and can’t make changes to our working conditions (e.g., new work rules). With no contract, we lose access to binding arbitration to enforce our rights and contract terms. We also regain the right to strike. We sincerely hope a strike won’t be necessary and any strike action must be authorized by a vote of MIT-GSU members. Ultimately, it’s up to MIT admin to offer us a fair deal so we aren’t forced to take this step.

How will we get the contract we deserve? 
Every raise, every healthcare improvement, every protection in our first contract, we won because graduate workers stood together and refused to accept less than what we deserve as the workers that make MIT what it is. We know how to win: stay informed, keep your coworkers informed, and keep showing up. Talk to the person next to you, let your cohort know what's happening, and join the Contract Action Team!We need organizers in every department, every building, every lab. We will only win what we are organized to take.

In solidarity,
UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Dear fellow graduate worker,

Late last night, the MIT administration sent us a “non-negotiable” one-year contract extension offer. The offer contains no improvements and only a 3% stipend increase. They gave us only two days to accept or reject the offer before it “expires.”

Instead of working with us to address the pressing demands of graduate workers, the MIT administration wants us to accept being bound an additional year by our present contract, one that does not meet our urgent needs. This is unacceptable. 

Maintaining our current contract protections while we conclude negotiations is preferable, but not if it prevents us from securing our reasonable demands. We sincerely hope to reach a fair agreement without exercising our right to withhold our labor; but if we vote to strike because the MIT administration gives us no other choice, being under contract prevents us from doing so.

Non-citizen graduate workers cannot wait a year to know that MIT will take every possible measure to protect us and our visa status. We cannot wait a year for secure, guaranteed funding so we can continue doing research and science. And we cannot wait a year for real, meaningful stipend increases that actually keep up with rapidly rising living costs. We cannot wait and we won’t wait. We need you to join us at the rally tomorrow May 28 at 1pm at Lobby 7 (77 Massachusetts Ave) so we can send the message loud and clear that MIT Workers Won’t Wait!

We are open to extending the contract for the few additional months necessary to reach a final agreement and will be giving MIT admin a counterproposal for a short extension, with a temporary 3% increase, when we convene for negotiations on Monday.

MIT has shown its priority is to delay any further improvements to graduate workers' lives and working conditions, but our priority continues to be meeting our needs as holistically and robustly as possible. 

See you tomorrow and in solidarity,
UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Dear graduate workers,

At today’s bargaining session, MIT spent a lot of time talking with little action.

Lack of commitment to international worker rights

MIT recognized that international workers need the protections that we put forward, such as protections against immigration enforcement on campus and sharing personnel files with government agencies. However, instead of collaborating with us to codify these in our contract, they chose to remain noncommittal and reserved the right to carve out these protections at any time. When rights are under attack from every direction, the last thing we need is to rely on protections that could be removed at any second.

We hoped that the administration would put these good intentions into writing, but when we asked them to guarantee access to CPT/OPT, they decided CPT is an “academic” issue and therefore they would not engage with it.

“Academic” excuses

Throughout today’s session, MIT used academics again and again as an excuse to reject or dodge our proposals to protect workers. Yet they themselves could not disentangle when we are doing “academic” work versus “employment” work, because they know the simple truth: we all do work, including fellows. This distraction has been clearly called out by over 1,600 fellows petition signatures. But rather than address our priorities they chose to employ the classic union-busting tactic of announcing a 3% raise for fellows. This shows that they are feeling pressure and so have chosen to try to divide and conquer rather than recognize that fellows deserve the same rights and protections. 

MIT refused to discuss two of our largest priorities, fellows inclusion and academic due process, making it clear: MIT does not want contract protections for all graduate workers. 

What will it take?

Our contract expires May 31st. MIT said that 4 bargaining sessions would be sufficient to have a second contract, but they have refused to budge on almost every proposal, and are threatening our agency shop and grievance procedure. We know that the only thing that will move them is showing our strength in numbers.Come out to our press rally on May 28th at 1pm at 77 Massachusetts Avenue ! RSVP here!

In solidarity,
UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

After months of stalling, MIT finally responded to some of our non-economic proposals. Rather than working with its graduate workers to solve the pressing issues we face, they came back with proposals that attack the very protections we fought for in our first contract.

Instead of responding to essential protections for international workers, MIT rejected all of our priorities and put forward proposals that:

• Threaten our health insurance coverage

• Refuse to engage on fellows and academic just cause

• Gut our hard-won and fair agency shop and grievance procedure

We did respond, in the same meeting, to their only semi-serious proposal: Health and Safety. In our counter proposal, we reasserted the rights of graduate workers to decline unsafe working conditions. Check out the bargaining tracker for details on all of MIT’s egregious proposals and our responses. 

At the bargaining table, MIT has made it clear: they don’t want to address the issues most important to graduate workers. 

Just like our last contract, it is going to take participation from 1000s of graduate workers to move MIT to meet our demands and give graduate workers what they deserve. 

Frustrated by MIT’s dismissal of our issues? Upset that after organizing for a strong contract in 2023, MIT is trying to take it away? Take action by coming to our General Membership Meeting this Thursday (5/14) and by joining the Contract Action Team. 

In solidarity,

UE 256 MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Today, we entered the second session of bargaining prepared for discussion and expecting answers to our urgent proposals to protect those most vulnerable in our community. We have now been at the table officially for 10 days. After presenting our proposals to MIT, here are the results: 

• International worker protections: No response.

• Fellows inclusion: No response.

• LGBTQ+ protections: No response. 

Nevertheless, we cannot wait for the administration, because graduate workers need a contract now. This morning, we proposed more non-economic articles, including Article 6 on academic just cause (read in depth details in the bargaining tracker). 

We are at the contract bargaining table to improve the lives of as many grad workers as possible. MIT has shown that they are at the table to nitpick our proposals and delay meaningful change. We look forward to MIT’s proposals at our next session on May 11th. 

In order to overcome MIT's delays, we need grad workers in every department and lab talking to coworkers about the contract fight. Join the Contract Action Team TODAY!

In solidarity,
MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee

Today was the first day of bargaining our union’s second contract, and we came to the table with proposals for a fair and secure workplace for all graduate workers. After coming together for a huge kickoff rally where we heard from powerful speakers on issues faced by fellows and international workers, we all walked over to drop off our Bargaining and Grievance Committee and member observers, a show of unity so powerful that it was commented on by MIT’s legal team. 

At the table, we presented seven proposals grounded in the experiences of grad workers, demanding transparency and real protections. 

First, we delivered over 1,600 signatures calling for full benefits of our contract to be extended to fellows. We also presented proposals to strengthen protections for international grad workers, including: 

• Improved remote work flexibility

• Guaranteed CPT/OPT

• Protections against federal agents

You can keep track of the exact language on our proposals throughout the bargaining process on our bargaining tracker here: http://mitgsu.org/bargaining-tracker 

MIT has clearly stated that this will be a months-long process. Without MIT agreeing to the extensive additional time we have proposed, it essentially guarantees that members will not receive the raises they deserve come June 1st. Despite that, we’re excited to keep going and open further dialogue with the administration to make sure that MIT graduate worker interests are fully represented at the table as soon as possible. 

Today was an important and successful day for our union. Let’s keep the pressure hot and the progress going by joining our MIT community at a May Day rally on Friday 5/1 at 3pm! RSVP here and let’s bargain a strong contract together!

In solidarity,
MIT GSU Bargaining and Grievance Committee