OUR PLATFORM

Our first contract expires in May 2026; to win a strong second contract we need to engage as many graduate workers in the fight as possible. MIT will not listen to the elected leaders of our union at the bargaining table unless they know the masses of graduate workers will otherwise take action to see the contract we are all united in fighting for. 

We have implemented a robust, participatory bargaining survey to understand our membership’s contract priorities and invite everyone to participate in building the contract campaign. Issues that are widely and deeply felt– such as international worker rights, fair wages and benefits to address the high cost of living in Boston, fellows inclusion, and expanding workplace protections to academic issues– should be addressed in our next contract, and we are committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with our coworkers to do so.

We strive to leverage the connections we’ve made across the broader labor movement to support our organizing efforts, while ultimately knowing our power is through our members and the broad and clear participation of masses of graduate workers.

Our power to make change comes from our unity as grad workers across MIT. We won our first contract through mass collective participation, and we will likewise need to win our second contract similarly– with collective actions like rallies, town halls, open bargaining, pickets, and a strike if necessary. In 2026, we aim to:

• Involve members in the ratification of our bargaining priorities to send a strong message to MIT that we are united. 

• Continue and scale up one-on-one conversations to keep grad workers informed and connected to the contract fight. 

• Unite with others on campus, such as undergraduates, faculty, staff, and other student groups to fight for a better MIT.

• Expand participation across all sections of MIT grad workers to build engagement and a broad, inclusive contract action team that can represent the diversity of our membership.

• Protect our rights as workers across campus and across unions; we cannot reliably rely on the administration to respect our rights in the face of increasing pressures from the federal government.

Our leadership is accountable to the membership and our union derives its power from the active participation of all members. Our members should be empowered to participate in the decisions that most impact them and take action on the issues they care most about. The leaders on our slate are committed to:

• Building membership so every worker has a voice in our union.

• Orienting every incoming 1st year graduate worker to welcome them into UE 256 and help them understand their benefits and protections.

• Deepening engagement in union democracy, such as in general membership meetings and ratification and authorization votes.

• Empowering workers to enforce their rights through the contract and our union’s tools. We want every worker to be able to discuss with their coworkers about the issues they face and take action together to make positive change on the issues they care about.

• Providing transparent bargaining updates about language proposals at the bargaining table through a bargaining tracker and regular email communications.

The challenges we face as workers at MIT reflect the challenges and struggles workers are facing across the academic industry. The BOLD slate will:

• Stand up against the right wing assaults on higher education and the labor movement.

• Protect immigrant worker rights – our membership and the academic workforce come from locations all around the world and are part of a global research community, and we will not allow xenophobia to be used as a tool to divide us.

• Continue active participation in the UE Higher Education Conference Board to coordinate bargaining and key fights effectively across our industry affecting all our campuses.

• Strengthen and expand our connections with other campus organizations and unions across higher ed to weather the political attacks on organized students and workers.