Unionization
Student or Worker?
Over the past year, both the graduate student unionization movement and the opposition to it have become stronger and more sophisticated, with no clear signs of letting up.
Columbia Grad Students Receive Additional Benefits
Following a nationwide push from for more graduate students benefits, Columbia University administrators announced Tuesday new policies of paid parental leave, childcare subsidies, and reduced fees for Ph.D. students.
GSC Plans to Keep Council Open to Unionization Debate
Having concluded a year of lengthy discussion about graduate student unionization, leaders of the Graduate Student Council say they hope to keep dialogue open among graduate students as they look to the next academic year.
Grad Students Rally for Harvard to Remain Neutral in Union Effort
Staging a rally and delivering a letter to University President Drew G. Faust’s office, graduate students on Thursday demanded that Harvard remain neutral and not interfere as they push for the right to form a union.
Union Block Party
Graduate student union supporters gather in the Science Center Plaza in April for a “Union Block Party,” hosted by Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW.
From the Wrestling Mat to the Bargaining Table
At first glance, it might be difficult to picture Paul R. Curran, Harvard’s current Director of Employee and Labor Relations, decked out in a blue wrestlers’ singlet. He stands with the posture of a lawyer, often in a dark suit with a pinstripe-patterned shirt, but almost always grinning.
Picketing The Prices
Over 200 Harvard affiliates gather to protest for higher wages and increased health benefits for Harvard University Dining Services Workers. The rally is the latest in a series of events SLAM has hosted since launching their “One Harvard” campaign.
Graduate Student Council Votes and Talks Amicus Brief
A Graduate Student Council member collects votes at a meeting Wednesday evening. In addition to voting for new leadership, the group discussed the amicus brief Harvard recently filed in opposition to graduate student unionization.
Grad Student Council Condemns Amicus Brief Against Unionization
Clashing over issues ranging from the meaning of true democracy to the role of the Graduate Student Council, graduate students voted to pass a hotly contested resolution to condemn Harvard’s filing of a joint amicus brief against graduate student unionization at this month’s GSC meeting.
Grad Student Union Effort Rallies Outside Mass Hall
To demand a fix for the “leaky pipeline,” members of the graduate student unionization effort, along with undergraduates and university employees, rallied just steps away from University President Drew G. Faust’s office for the formation of a collective bargaining unit on Friday.
SLAM Ramps Up Support for Dining Workers
As the deadline for a new agreement between Harvard and its dining services employees looms in June, student organizations have ramped up efforts to show support for workers affected by the round of talks.
Contested Unionization Effort Tries to Drum Up Support
Members of the Harvard graduate student union effort formally launched the campaign “Working for a Healthy Harvard” last Wednesday in order to promote visibility for the issues graduate students face and to drum up support for their movement to unionize.
Author Reflects on Occupy Movement’s Influence on Harvard
Author Michael A. Gould-Wartofsky ’07 discussed on Tuesday evening the Occupy movements of 2011, and the lessons on social movements that can be drawn from it.
Ph.D. Students Air Concerns to GSAS Administrators
About 20 Ph.D. students in the Graduate School of Design and the History of Art and Architecture Department met with administrators on Wednesday to review student benefits and relay frustrations to the graduate school leadership.
SLAM Delivers Letter to Faust in Support of HUDS Workers
Several Harvard student groups urged University President Drew G. Faust to join their coalition aimed at improving campus dining service employees’ labor contract, presenting her with a letter Tuesday outlining what they consider problems with the agreement.
Faust and Brother Share Memories at Education School Forum
In a sprawling conversation, University President Drew G. Faust and her younger brother Donald Gilpin espoused the virtues of a liberal arts education and reflected on their time growing up together at a Forum.
GSAS Increases Stipend for Ph.D. Students by 3 Percent
At the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Ph.D. student stipends have climbed annually by at least three percent for the past six years.
Graduate Student Council Vice President Condemns Amicus Brief
The vice president of the Graduate Student Council condemned Harvard's filing of an amicus brief against graduate student unionization in a proposal presented at the group's monthly meeting Wednesday.
Conflicting Views Emerge on Impetus of GSAS Benefits
Members of the unionization movement see a direct link between their efforts and the new changes coming out of GSAS. However, GSAS Dean for Student Affairs Garth O. McCavana stated that the improvements resulted from a reassessment of the program and from engaging collaboratively with graduate students.
Behind the Scenes of HUCTW's Negotiations
Though this year’s negotiations were long, sometimes riddled with frustrations and other times with rewarding compromises, HUCTW members said this process was decidedly less antagonistic than previous negotiations.