Harvard Grad Student Workers Strike Again As Contract Remains Unresolved

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Harvard University student workers have begun their second strike this year amid ongoing contract negotiations with the university.

The Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW began the walkout Tuesday, Oct. 27, after the two sides failed to reach an agreement before the union's Monday night deadline. The union is seeking higher pay, an independent process for harassment and discrimination complaints, and expanded protections for noncitizen workers.

According to the union, 1,710 student workers participated in a strike authorization vote earlier this month, with 88 percent voting in favor. The walkout follows a 40-day strike in the spring that ended without a new contract.

The union has said negotiations produced agreements on nine contract articles, including provisions involving dental coverage for doctoral students, retaliation protections, funding transparency, and private workspaces. However, union leaders have said the two sides remain divided on compensation, benefits, and workplace protections.

The union seeks a $55,000 salary for salaried research assistants, prorated compensation for teaching fellows, and annual raises of 3 percent or a cost-of-living adjustment, whichever is higher. The proposal also includes an independent grievance process for harassment and discrimination complaints and transition funding for research assistants leaving unsafe labs.

Harvard has said its latest proposal addresses the union's major concerns. In an Oct. 26 statement, Provost John Manning and Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick said the university offered a 6.1 percent raise upon ratification and 3 percent annual raises afterward, amounting to a nearly 16 percent compounded increase over the contract.

“In the University’s view, another strike is unwarranted,” Manning and Weenick wrote.

The university has said its benefits approach would expand access for doctoral students regardless of whether they hold union positions. The union has argued that the proposal would eliminate negotiated benefit funds and exclude non-PhD and hourly workers from those benefits.

The union is also seeking immigration-related leave, protections for sensitive immigration documents and notification if immigration agents come to campus. Harvard has said its proposal includes paid leave for immigration-related matters and access to subsidized legal services for salaried student workers.

Harvard has said it remains committed to bargaining in good faith while maintaining teaching and research during the strike. The union's bargaining portal lists Thursday, Nov. 5, as the next negotiating session.

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