Update on HGSU-UAW Negotiations and Strike Deadline

Dear Members of the Harvard Community,

Last Friday, the University received notification that the Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers (HGSU-UAW) set a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 20. In light of this deadline, we write to share an update on contract negotiations, as well as ongoing planning for a possible strike. 

As a reminder, the HGSU-UAW bargaining unit includes graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in Harvard degree programs employed to provide instructional services (teaching fellows, course assistants) and graduate students employed as research assistants. To date, we have held 23 bargaining sessions with HGSU-UAW, with more scheduled in the coming weeks. For additional perspective on these negotiations, we encourage you to review the University’s current proposals online.

The University remains committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching an agreement with HGSU-UAW. We believe any agreement must recognize the important contributions of our graduate student workers to Harvard’s teaching and research mission while at the same time preserving the integrity of our academic mission, our faculty's academic freedom in teaching and research, and the rights and educational opportunities of all our students. We are working with HGSU-UAW's bargaining team to address several key issues, including:

Compensation
It is important to note that while there are different categories of students in the HGSU-UAW collective bargaining unit, approximately 60% of members are PhD students. As a reminder, PhD students receive living expense support, grants covering full tuition and fully subsidized health insurance, and other benefits totaling at least $425,000 over a minimum of five years. The living expense support is a combination of stipends and guaranteed offers of part-time employment as teaching fellows or research assistants as they make academic progress toward their degrees, totaling more than $50,000 a year. 

On the wage component specifically, the University proposed a 10% increase to all salaried appointment rates over four years. This is in line with compensation offers in other recent labor negotiations. HGSU-UAW, however, has proposed a 74% increase in the minimum rate for teaching fellows and a 22% increase for salaried research assistants. 

Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policies and Procedures
The HGSU-UAW's current proposal seeks a distinct and separate set of non-discrimination, harassment, and anti-bullying processes for its members. Our position insists on equal treatment for all our students, faculty and staff. In 2023, the University adopted comprehensive new University policies and guidelines on non-discrimination, harassment, and anti-bullying (NDAB), ensuring that every member of the Harvard community is subject to the same policies and has access to the same processes. Students, faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and staff across Harvard provided extensive input that shaped the development of these policies and procedures. The HGSU-UAW proposal would conflict not only with federal regulations for Title IX complaints, but also with the University's policy that members of our community should have access to the same procedures.

Union Dues
HGSU-UAW and the University have agreed in two collective bargaining agreements to allow student employees freedom of choice regarding joining or paying fees to a union rather than making it a condition of employment. The University has been clear throughout the negotiations that it believes it is important to maintain this fundamental right. Currently, of the 4,040 HGSU-UAW represented student workers, 1,303 have elected to have dues deducted from their pay. We will not require our students to join or pay dues to a union in order to enjoy the full range of educational benefits, including work as a teaching fellow or research assistant.

We will continue to negotiate, in good faith, over these and other important issues, while recognizing HGSU-UAW's right to call a strike. If a strike occurs, we will continue to fulfill our obligations to our students and researchers. We will take steps to ensure that teaching, learning, and research continue and that students, faculty, and other researchers can make progress toward their academic goals. Faculty and staff are free to support the Union’s goals, but they must also meet their academic and professional responsibilities to their students. Students too are free, of course, to support the union’s goals, but they must also fulfill their academic requirements and continue to make progress toward their degrees. Contingency planning guidance is available online, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your department, unit, or School leadership. 

HGSU-UAW members play a vital role in fulfilling Harvard’s teaching and research mission. With appreciation for that role and the work they do, we remain committed to productive bargaining and reaching an agreement.

Sincerely,
 
John Manning
Provost

Meredith Weenick
Executive Vice President