Maryland Bill Would Allow Some Graduate Students to Unionize
Credit: Hisham Ibrahim / Getty Images- The bill would allow some graduate students in Maryland to unionize.
- The proposal does not, however, apply to undergraduate students.
- Maryland’s House of Delegates already approved the proposal, sending it to the state Senate.
Graduate student workers at some Maryland public colleges and universities may soon be able to unionize.
The Maryland House of Delegates recently passed a measure that would grant collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants and postdoctoral associates at public institutions. The measure now heads to the state Senate, where lawmakers will have until April 7 to send the bill to Gov. Wes Moore.
If the bill is passed and signed into law, graduate students from the University of Maryland system, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland could unionize.
It does not, however, require students to unionize.
Linda Foley, a Maryland delegate and primary sponsor of the bill, told BestColleges she is optimistic the bill will become law this year. While previous versions of the measure have been proposed in years, she said this is the first time it has ever made it out of either state chamber.
“Now, it’s going to be a heavier lift in the Senate,” Foley said, “but, hopefully, we can get there.”
Democrats control the Maryland House of Delegates, Senate, and governorship, which could facilitate the bill’s passage.
Joseph Knisely, a Ph.D. student and organizer at the University of Maryland Graduate Labor Union (UMD-GLU), told BestColleges students are trying not to get “too far ahead of ourselves” in believing the bill will pass. The bill must still get through the Maryland Senate, and Senate President Bill Ferguson has stymied previous versions of the measure.
Still, Knisely said this year could be different thanks to the united front UMD-GLU is showing.
Of the 4,000 graduate student workers at the University of Maryland, 2,600 students have signed a union card thus far. This supermajority support could make a difference.
“The biggest difference is just that when we meet with the legislators, we’re at 65% [support] from the student body, and it’s growing every day,” he said. “A lot of students do feel like Maryland has fallen behind other universities, many of which have unionized themselves.”
Students at public colleges and universities in the U.S. cannot form a union without a state law. Students at private institutions, meanwhile, can file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union election.
If approved, Maryland’s proposal would go into effect July 1, 2025, according to the bill.
Foley said student support played a significant role in getting the legislation through the House of Delegates. Organizers spoke to lawmakers during the bill’s hearing to advocate for the measure.
“The reason I’m optimistic is that organizing among graduate assistants has accelerated,” she said.
College officials and administrators have provided the only pushback to the proposal.
David Wilson, president of Morgan State University, and Sherri Roxas, senior director of labor at the University System of Maryland, penned letters to lawmakers arguing against the bill. The letters argue that graduate student unions could sow division among students.
“Morgan State University remains firmly committed to the success of all graduate assistants and postdoctoral associates,” Wilson wrote. “However, a collective bargaining environment for all graduate assistants and postdoctoral associates will not lead to an enhancement of that success.”
Foley pushed back on this criticism, pointing out that over 150,000 student workers are represented in higher education unions across the U.S., as of January 2024.
Knisely said University of Maryland administrators have not publicly shown too much resistance to students’ unionization efforts thus far. However, opposition has been “strong” in closed-door meetings with university officials.
The university has made small concessions in recent months in an effort to tamp down frustration among graduate students, Knisely said, like offering longer parental leave for new parents.
“It’s pennies on the dollar for what we’re worth,” he said.
If Maryland’s bill is signed into law, Knisely expects the union to formally come together immediately. He hopes that students can negotiate a contract by mid-2026.
Maryland’s bill does not cover undergraduate student workers. Foley said that may be on the table in future years, but the priority for now is extending bargaining rights to graduate students first.
“Let’s try to get this part done first,” she said.