Labor
After Unionization, Harvard Undergrads are Preparing to Bargain
Following a successful vote to unionize last October, Harvard’s Undergraduate Workers Union-UAW has begun preparing for negotiations.
Former HGSU-UAW President Launches Campaign for State Representative
Evan C. MacKay ’19 launched a campaign for Middlesex District State Representative on Dec. 7 after stepping down as the president of Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers.
Interim President Garber’s Uneasy Relationship With Harvard Unions
When longtime Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 suddenly became interim president earlier this month, the powerful but largely invisible administrator was unfamiliar to most Harvard affiliates.
Harvard, Securitas Settle with Security Guard in Retaliation Case
Harvard and Securitas settled a National Labor Relations Board case with former security guard Walter J. Terzano, who alleged that the University and Securitas retaliated against him for organizing a protest.
Bailey Plaman Steps Into Role of HGSU-UAW President
Bailey A. Plaman assumed the presidency of the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Auto Workers late last year after former HGSU-UAW president Evan C. MacKay ‘19 stepped down to run for public office.
Mary Quinlan, Longtime HUDS Worker, Remembered as the ‘Very Heart’ of Cabot House
Mary A. Quinlan, a Harvard University Dining Services employee for nearly two decades, found a group of adoring students and colleagues at Cabot House. Quinlan died on Dec. 24 at age 78.
GSAS Raises Ph.D. Stipends to $50,000, Answering Grad Union Call for Living Wage
Ph.D. students in Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will be paid at least $50,000 in program stipends, increasing most stipends by more than 10 percent, GSAS Dean Emma Dench announced in an email Monday.
Arnold Arboretum Workers Without Contract Amid Compensation Impasse
Arnold Arboretum workers are now without a contract after their previous agreement with the University expired on Nov. 15, with both sides failing to come to a consensus on compensation after roughly three months of negotiations.
Dozens Resign from Harvard Grad Union Over Response to Hamas Attacks and Jewish, Israeli Student Concerns
More than 30 members of Harvard’s graduate student union resigned since Thursday, criticizing the union’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and stating the union “repeatedly ignored” concerns raised by Jewish and Israeli members.
Cambridge Public Schools, Educators Union Reach Tentative Contract Agreement
The Cambridge Public School District and the Cambridge Education Association reached a tentative contract agreement last week after more than a year of negotiations — though the deal faces obstacles to ratification, including educator skepticism over a proposal to extend the school day.
Harvard Grad Union Endorses BDS and Calls for Ceasefire, Drawing Member Criticism
Harvard’s graduate student union voted on Friday to endorse national union statements supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel and calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Harvard Claims it Doesn’t Employ its Contracted Security Guards. A New Case Could Change That.
Harvard has maintained for years that it is not the employer of contracted security guards who work on the University’s campus. But with a new case awaiting trial with the National Labor Relations Board, experts say the Board could hold Harvard liable as an employer for complaints of misconduct.
‘A Real Shift’: New Harvard Student Union Forms Amid National Wave of Undergrad Unionization
Harvard undergraduate workers voted to form a union by a landslide 153-1 margin Wednesday. The unionization effort follows a series of undergrad union campaigns around the country as workers seek higher wages and greater employment stability.
As Cambridge Educators Remain Without Contract, Proposed Mass. Bill Would Grant Teachers Right to Strike
Locked in a contract battle with Cambridge Public Schools, the city’s teacher’s union lacks a weapon in the arsenal of nearly every other labor union: the right to strike. A bill co-sponsored by one of Cambridge’s state legislators could soon change that.
Students Vote to Form Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union in Landslide Election
Harvard’s non-academic student workers voted overwhelmingly to unionize with all but one ballot in favor after the initial vote tally.
As Election Day Approaches, Cambridge Educators Union Ups Pressure on School District for Contract
As election day for Cambridge School Committee rapidly approaches, the Cambridge Educators Association is working to ensure the ongoing contract negotiations are on the top of voters’ — and candidates’ — minds.
Cambridge Council Candidates Clash at Forum Hosted by Harvard Grad Student Union
Fourteen candidates for Cambridge City Council gathered at Emerson Hall in Harvard Yard for a forum organized by Harvard’s graduate student union on Tuesday night.
Harvard, Securitas Retaliated Against Guard, Regional National Labor Relations Board Claims
Harvard University and Securitas retaliated against Walter J. Terzano, a guard who has worked for Securitas since 2009, Boston’s regional labor relations board alleged in a previously unreported complaint issued earlier this month.
‘We’re Not Going Away’: Cambridge Educators Rally for New Contract Outside School Committee Meeting
More than 50 Cambridge educators and residents rallied in support of the Cambridge Education Association outside of a School Committee meeting on Tuesday night, as the teachers’ union remains in a contract stalemate with the school district.
Mass General Brigham Union Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge, Alleges Retaliatory Benefit Cuts
Newly unionized residents and fellows at Mass General Brigham filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board Friday alleging the hospital system retaliated against them for unionizing by removing long-standing benefits.
Harvard Dining Workers Across Campus Slam Lack of AC, Report Heat Exhaustion
After students raised concerns about dining workers overheating last week, Mather House temporarily closed its dining hall for lunch. But workers in other Harvard undergraduate dining halls who have also felt the heat are not seeing similar changes.
Harvard Grad Union Requests Mid-Contract Negotiations Over Wages
Halfway into a four-year contract, Harvard’s graduate student union has asked the University to formally reopen contract negotiations over demands for higher wages.
‘How Do You Guys Stand This?’: Harvard Dining Hall Shifts Schedule After Overheating Concerns
Following student outcry over Harvard dining working conditions, Harvard Undergraduate Dining Services closed Mather House’s dining hall for lunch Thursday and Friday and served dinner Thursday “without use of warmers” for the food.
Ahead of October Election, Harvard Undergrad Union Campaign Faces Tight Hiring Deadline
Harvard’s undergraduate unionization campaign is up for election in late October — but organizers are racing against the clock, with a flurry of new workers and students switching jobs this fall.
Harvard, Grad Union At Odds Over Legal Defense Fund for Student Workers Amid Request For $17,000
In 2021, Harvard’s graduate student union won a key concession in the creation of a $100,000 fund to cover the legal expenses of graduate students “relating to their working conditions at the University.” Now, the union and Harvard’s Office for Labor and Employee Relations remain at odds over how to administer the fund.