Harvard Graduate Student Workers Propose Wage Increases in Contract Talks

Harvard graduate student workers proposed wage increases for the first time Monday, nearly a year into contract negotiations with the University.

The Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers called for a 12 percent increase to base salaries, followed by annual five percent raises. If accepted, the proposal would raise graduate student pay from $49,998 — the fiscal base salary since academic year 2024-25 — to $55,000.

For teaching fellows, the union proposed restructuring pay so that TFs would earn the equivalent of a full 10-month research assistant salary from teaching. The change would amount to roughly a 74 percent increase in base teaching pay.

University negotiators did not respond to the wage proposal during the session.

The University instead sought clarification on a revised Health and Safety article introduced last week. The proposal would bar law enforcement, including federal agents, from entering University-owned buildings without advance notice or a judicial warrant.

The union also proposed expanded benefits, including increased funding for childcare, health and dental insurance, and legal expenses. Those issues were highlighted at a joint rally last week with Harvard Academic Workers-United Auto Workers.

Linking wages to inflation has been a union demand for years, as the cost of living in the Boston area has continued to rise.

Lindsey E. Adams, an at-large bargaining committee member and a fourth-year virology Ph.D. candidate, said the proposed increase would bring Harvard closer to industry standards.

“When we were looking into how we could improve the system, what we were really looking for was how can we get a wage that makes it more affordable to live in Boston?” she said.

At MIT, doctoral teaching assistants earn about $52,000 for the 2025-26 academic year. The MIT living wage calculator estimates that a single adult in Boston needs about $63,000 annually to cover basic expenses.

Bailey A. Plaman, a sixth-year graduate student in chemical biology and president emeritus of the union, said she was particularly excited by the prospect of inflation-adjusted wages, pointing to the “astronomically” higher cost of living since the last contract was ratified in 2021 following a three-day strike.

“They were willing to bring us up to a living wage a couple of years ago — in part through organizing efforts that our Union did outside of contract negotiations,” she said. “We’re not even asking for a living wage according to the MIT living wage calculator, we’re just asking to be a lot closer to a living wage.”

The union also proposed shifting management of benefit funds from the union to an independent trust, a change it said would reduce administrative burden for both parties.

Under the previous contract, the union distributed $2.75 million annually in benefits. It is now seeking $3.6 million, citing higher healthcare and immigration-related costs, including visa fees.

“The University — every time we present to them — they like to remind us of how difficult times are for them right now, which is incredibly frustrating to us,” she said, pointing to the growth of Harvard’s $56 billion endowment and the restoration of previously frozen federal grants, a ruling the Trump administration appealed in December.

Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement that “Harvard is committed to negotiating in good faith to ensure that a fair contract can be reached.

“We will respond to the Union’s proposal through the normal course of negotiations at the appropriate time,” Newton added.

The duration of the proposed contract remains unclear and would be finalized in a separate article after a contract agreement is reached.

“I think the main thing is having cost of living adjusted raises would go a really long way for Harvard — showing that they care about us as students and workers, and that they value our labor and the contributions that it has towards making this university the place that it is,” Plaman said.

—Staff writer Taylor M. Bierwerth can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @tmbierwerth.

—Staff writer Noah A. Ferris can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @noahaferris.