Harvard Graduate Workers Set Strike for April 21 if Talks Fail

Harvard’s graduate student union said Friday afternoon that it would begin a strike on April 21 if the University does not meet its demands by then, escalating a labor dispute that has stretched on for more than a year.

In an email to members, the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Auto Workers accused Harvard’s negotiators of refusing to engage on key issues, including wages, protections for non-citizen workers, and access to third-party arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.

Union leaders pointed to the results of a strike authorization vote last month — in which nearly 96 percent of participating members voted in favor — as evidence of a broad support for a walkout.

“Student workers do not take the decision to strike lightly,” the email read. “This overwhelming result is an indication of the disappointment that we are feeling.”

Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton wrote in a statement that a “a strike is unwarranted.”

“In bargaining sessions as recent as this week, we feel progress has been made in key areas,” Newton wrote. “That progress can only continue through discussions at the table, and we will continue to engage in good faith negotiations to reach an agreement.”

Even as they set a deadline, union leaders said they remained open to reaching an agreement.

“We hope that between now and our strike deadline, Harvard makes a good faith effort to come to the table, meet with us and bargain over our articles,” said Linsdey Adams, a member of the bargaining committee.

Absent an agreement, she added, “on the morning of the 21st, we are on strike until we have a fair contract.”

Progress at the bargaining table has been limited: only two articles have reached tentative agreement, while 24 remain under negotiation.

HGSU-UAW President Sara V. Speller called the strike-planning process “a labor of love.”

“It was a very democratic process,” she said. “We had it open for a month to make sure people could get as much information as they could and spend time deciding if they wanted to vote yes — and the results speak for themselves.”

The strike, if carried out, would disrupt grading, teaching and research across the University, as thousands of graduate student workers — including teaching fellows, course assistants, and research assistants — withhold their labor.

The union’s bargaining committee voted earlier this week to set the deadline, according to Adams, but waited until Friday to announce it publicly. A special membership meeting on Monday helped solidify support and finalize the timeline, she said.

As of now, one bargaining session remains before the deadline: a one-hour meeting scheduled for April 20.

The looming walkout would mark the third time the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Auto Workers has moved to strike since its founding.

In November 2019, after more than a year at the bargaining table, the union’s bargaining committee authorized its first strike. Graduate student workers protested for five weeks, but ultimately did not secure an initial contract.

Nearly two years later, as negotiations for a second contract stalled, the union organized a three-day strike in late 2021. Disagreements over key provisions — including agency shop and compensation — remained unresolved, prompting undergraduate workers to walk out in solidarity with graduate students.

The union threatened a second strike just weeks later, but called it off after reaching a tentative agreement with the University. That contract included wage increases, established a legal defense fund, and expanded access to Title IX resources for union members.

—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.