Labor
Grad Union Ratifies First-Ever Contract
After nearly two years of negotiations and more than five years of union organizing, members of Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers voted to ratify the union’s first contract with the University Tuesday.
Citing the Fall Term's 'Uncertainty,' Harvard Will Not Pursue Layoffs or Furloughs For Now
Harvard will not pursue layoffs or furloughs “at this time" because of “uncertainty” regarding the fall semester, Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp wrote in an email Tuesday to Harvard affiliates.
Harvard University Police Association
The Harvard University Police Association union’s contract is set to expire in late November, while the department is also undergoing an internal review of climate and culture.
Facing Uncertainty and Unemployment, Employees Express Concerns About Future of Working at Harvard
University employees across a broad range of fields said they were concerned they would be out of work and pay when the school’s extension of guaranteed pay and benefits comes to an end on June 28.
Harvard Proposes One-Year Contract With Grad Union At Remote Bargaining Session
During a virtual bargaining session with its graduate student union Friday, Harvard proposed creating a one-year contract that addresses compensation and health care provisions, according to email updates from both parties.
Harvard Extends Pay and Benefits to Employees Amid Estimated $415 Million Shortfall
Harvard will extend guaranteed pay and benefits to directly employed staff and contract workers through June 28 as it faces a $415 million shortfall this fiscal year, Harvard Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp wrote in an email to Harvard faculty and staff Tuesday morning.
Grad Union Expresses Concerns with Workload, Health Care, and Research During Pandemic
Student workers said they were concerned about workload protections, health care security, and research opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic, given the absence of a contract between Harvard and its graduate student union.
#40BillionForWhat Campaign Calls on Harvard to Use Financial Resources to Support Workers
Harvard College Students for Bernie has launched a campaign calling on University administrators to use their financial resources to provide better protections for workers and students during the coronavirus crisis.
Quincy House Dining Staff Will Not Report to Work After Two Co-Workers Test Positive for COVID-19
Harvard University Dining Services employees working in Quincy House’s dining hall stopped reporting to work Saturday after two of their co-workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Harvard Grad Union Reaches Tentative Workload Agreement With University, Calls for Fully-Funded 'Bridge Year'
Harvard and its graduate student union signed a tentative agreement setting a maximum limit on student workers’ weekly hours after a virtual back-and-forth last week. The union is also asking for a fully-funded “bridge year” for all Ph.D. students to continue research projects interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Leave Due to COVID-19 Concerns, Forty-Three Harvard Dining Workers Risk Going Without Pay
Forty-three Harvard University Dining Services employees are at risk of going unpaid for the remainder of the school year because of a loophole in the compensation policies the University has instituted during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to several affected employees and two representatives from their union.
Fighting COVID-19 on Mostly Empty Campus, Harvard Custodians Voice Anxieties Over Health and Safety
When Harvard told affiliates to vacate campus last month to mitigate coronavirus spread, the University’s custodians were among the few who stayed behind, reporting to work to clean and sanitize University buildings.
Grad Union Alleges Harvard Asked to Suspend Bargaining Due to COVID-19 Challenges; Univ. Denies Claim
Harvard’s graduate student union is alleging that administrators have asked to suspend ongoing contract negotiations while the University reevaluates its financial situation due to the novel coronavirus pandemic — a claim that Harvard denies.
Harvard Guarantees Regular Pay and Benefits to Employees Through May, Will Keep Childcare Centers Open
Harvard will guarantee regular pay and benefits through May 28 for University employees who are available to work but cannot perform their regular duties due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp announced in an email Friday afternoon.
Petition Calls on Harvard to Pay Workers for the Rest of the Semester
More than 5,000 Harvard students and affiliates have signed an online petition asking Harvard to guarantee all University employees full pay for the complete 2020 spring semester.
Subcontracted Guards Decry Lack of Comparable Emergency Benefits to Harvard Employees After Coronavirus Closes Campus Facilities
Subcontracted security guards at Harvard say they have not been guaranteed the same emergency compensation benefits as the University’s direct-hire employees, even as some guards report losing work and pay following the closure of many campus facilities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HUDS Workers, Custodians Out of Work Due to Coronavirus Closures To Receive 30 Days Pay
Harvard will provide 30 days of paid leave with benefits to employees whose work cannot continue remotely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Harvard Unions Respond to School Closures Due to Coronavirus
Three of Harvard's labor unions are forming contingency plans and cancelling events after Harvard announced Tuesday that it would send undergraduates home for the remainder of the semester and hold classes online due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Grad Student Union Alleges University Engaged in ‘Regressive Bargaining,’ Hid Behind Trump Administration
After a Friday bargaining session, Harvard’s graduate student union accused the University of “hiding behind the Trump administration” to undermine contract negotiations in an email to members Monday.
Harvard Graduate Council Proposes Ideas for a More Unified University
The Harvard Graduate Council discussed a trio of programs spanning the University’s 12 graduate schools in a meeting featuring representatives from each school Monday night.
Harvard Police Union Files Complaint with National Labor Relations Board
Harvard’s police union filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the University with the National Labor Relations Board Thursday, according to NLRB case records.
Harvard and Grad Union Reach New Bargaining Agreements One Month After Strike Ends
Harvard and its graduate student union reached three new tentative contract provisions — including agreements on holidays, employee assistance, and parking and transportation benefits — in their most recent mediated bargaining session last week.
Sanders’s New Senate Bill Could Protect Graduate Student Workers’ Employee Rights from Proposed NLRB Ruling, Experts Say
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) has introduced a new bill which — if passed — could protect graduate student workers’ employee rights from a proposed National Labor Relations Board rule that would classify graduate student workers as non-employees, experts say.
Graduate Students Head Back to Work as HGSU Negotiations Continue
With the first week of classes underway, members of the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Automobile Workers strike traded in their picket signs for syllabi and resumed their roles as teaching fellows.
Harvard Law School Initiative Calls for Clean Slate in America’s Labor Laws
An initiative of Harvard Law School’s Labor and Worklife Program — called Clean Slate for Worker Power — released its final report on Thursday.