We are a group of graduate workers who want to unionize in order to improve our research, teaching, and employment experience at the University of Maryland. Our work not only benefits UMD and the Maryland economy, but also has positive impacts worldwide. Graduate workers work in many different fields and have varied experiences, but our dedication to research and education unites us all.

By forming a union, UMD graduate workers are democratizing our workplace. A union will give us more rights and the power to make improvements at work, will legally protect our rights and policies, and will make transparent the terms and conditions of our employment.

Forming a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in particular means joining nearly 100,000 higher education employees who are already UAW members. With other academic unions across the country, graduate workers at UMD will have the political power to impact policy and funding decisions on the local, state, and federal levels.