On April 13, 2026, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill granting graduate assistants at the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County collective bargaining rights. The bill passed both chambers with amendments, and pending Governor Wes Moore’s signature, the legislation will take effect on July 1, 2028. Once effective, graduate assistants at UMD and UMBC will be able to form a union and negotiate directly with university representatives over wages, hours, and working conditions.

This legislation comes on top of the wave of graduate student organizing across the country. As of January 2024, roughly 150,000 graduate student workers were represented in higher education unions nationally, a figure that has more than doubled since 2012.

The bill defines “graduate assistant” as a graduate student at UMD or UMBC who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant (or in a comparable position), a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern. This definition is narrower than earlier versions of the legislation, which would have extended collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants at all University System of Maryland institutions, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Notably, the bill excludes any graduate assistant that is “a contingent, contractual, or temporary employee whose position is funded through a research or service grant or contract, or through clinical revenues.” This carveout likely excludes certain research assistants depending on the funding source.

By delaying the effective date until July 2028, the Maryland bill provides a two-year window for covered institutions to develop their labor relations infrastructure and assess what a potential graduate student union could mean for graduate education at their institution.

Ballard Spahr’s Labor and Employment Group frequently advises employers on issues related to labor law and policy. Ballard has a dedicated group of attorneys who represent higher education institutions in labor negotiations with graduate student unions. Please contact us if we can assist you with these matters.