A potential wave of labor protests could disrupt life at Harvard and MIT as administrators at both schools maintain their stances in union negotiations.
Graduate student workers at Harvard University kicked off their second strike of the year Tuesday after failing to come to an agreement with administrators. The Harvard Graduate Students Union – United Auto Workers Local 5118, said 1,710 of the more than 4,000 graduate student workers who are members had voted over nine days in a strike authorization vote, with 88% voting in favor. The strike comes nearly five months after members ended a 40-day strike over a shift in how administrators were handling negotiations.
The union said it has held 38 bargaining sessions with administrators over the course of a year and a half. Among its demands are third-party investigations for harassment and discrimination claims, protections for non-citizen and disabled workers, pay equity between research assistants and teaching fellows and wages on par with Harvard’s peer institutions — including MIT and Brown University.
The union and the administration have agreed on seven contract articles over the summer, including changes to the transition support fund and paid leave. But union members contend that since the start of the fall semester in September, administrators have “brought zero proposals to the table” and disengaged from discussion during bargaining sessions.
“A strike is no one’s first choice and no one wants to be on strike, because we’re all here with deep love and care for our teaching and research,” said Denish Jaswal, president of HGSU. “However, I think that we’re not seeing the progress that we need … people are willing to go out again, even knowing the sacrifice and the toll that a strike will take.”
In a statement shared with the Harvard community on Monday, Harvard Provost John Manning and Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick said that another strike is “unwarranted.”
“Through both formal and informal engagements, the University has shown an unwavering commitment to reaching an agreement, reflecting our appreciation for the critical role HGSU-UAW members play in advancing Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the statement read.
Other Harvard unions also poised to strike
The strike at Harvard comes after Harvard Academic Workers – United Auto Workers, which represents around 2,600 university researchers, teachers and instructors, and UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents around 580 university food service workers, voted to authorize strikes of their own.
“Harvard has three strike threats this fall and it’s because they’re poorly negotiating with thousands of workers,” Jaswal said. “People are seeing this strike as a moment to push back against this administration that is increasingly taking directives from top donors or corporate entities or its board, rather than the workers who actually make this university run.”
MIT also faces potential strikes
At MIT, graduate student workers and facilities workers are preparing for the possibility of a joint strike. United Electrical Workers Local 256 – MIT Graduate Student Union and Service Employees International Union Local 32 BJ have bargained with administrators since May, with neither group reaching an agreement.
Of Local 256’s 1,708 voting members, over 92% voted to authorize a strike, the union announced last Thursday. A representative of 32 BJ told Cambridge Day an overwhelming majority of its members voted to authorize a strike but did not provide specifics.
Local 256 represents more than 3,000 graduate student members, while 32 BJ represents around 600 MIT facilities workers. Both unions are demanding new contracts that reduce healthcare premiums, increase wages and provide protections for immigrant workers against the Trump administration.
Local 256 has seen small progress on a few contract articles, such as contract grievance procedures and workplace-specific safety protocols. And administrators have offered 32 BJ members a one-year contract with a 2.2 percent wage increase. But both unions said administrators refuse to meet their key demands, forcing them to escalate.
“We want the university to understand that our members are dealing with all of the affordability issues that everyone else is right now,” said Kevin Brown, executive vice president and New England director of the union, in an interview ahead of the strike authorization vote. “Working class people are tired of taking it on the chin.”
Seven bargaining sessions have taken place with administrators since 32 BJ began negotiations in May. Members have twice marched to MIT President Sally Kornbluth’s office to deliver petitions urging administrators to agree to the union’s demands.
Brown said administrators’ sole 2.2 percent wage increase proposal is ridiculous, because it ignores the rest of the union’s demands and wouldn’t provide workers enough money to survive.
“While we understand that MIT is going through some serious issues with the federal government, you can’t take it out on the blue-collar workers or any of the workers who make MIT work,” Brown said.
Local 256 will meet with administrators for its 16th bargaining session on Wednesday, ahead of a last-chance practice picket set for Thursday. Daniel Shen, the union’s campus chief steward, said that a strike could be avoided if administrators offer a more substantial proposal package with items such as wage increases, improved leave policy and a fair share agreement the union says will protect its shop.
Shen said union members are demanding just a fraction of MIT’s $29.2 billion endowment. They have suggested that MIT could use unrestricted funds from its endowment to give them raises, and that Kornbluth’s 12 percent salary increase from 2024 to 2025 suggests the university can offer more.
“These payouts to top executives show that MIT has the resources to fund its workforce, it’s just a question of priorities,” Shen said.
Though it’s unclear if and when a strike at MIT could be called, Shen said union members are prepared to strike and intend to settle a contract this semester.
“A lot of how we respond in the next few weeks is going to be determined by how [administrators] come back at the bargaining table,” Shen said. “But we’re looking at all possible options, currently.”
In a statement sent Monday to Cambridge Day, MIT administrators emphasized a commitment to retaining and attracting talent to the university and bargaining in good faith with unionized workers.
“As our leadership has explained, the Institute has had to adopt a careful stance on budgeting and hiring given the uncertain outlook for federal funding and policy,” the statement read. “Even in such an environment, our bargaining team strives to reach agreement on contracts that are fair and recognize everyone’s contributions while reflecting the reality of the Institute’s financial situation.”
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