Adam here from the Harvard Academic Workers-UAW Bargaining Committee. On Monday, I attended the hearing of the cases challenging federal funding cuts at Harvard, including AAUP and UAW vs the US Government, which is fighting these cuts on behalf of workers and researchers at Harvard and includes several HAW-UAW members’ stories in support of our case. Afterwards Kelsey, a HAW-UAW organizer, spoke at a rally outside about why we must keep fighting: “if we accept this as our new normal: it will be.”

These recent attacks have just strengthened my resolve as a union member. In this context, as always, when we stand together, we achieve great things.

For those interested, below are some of my thoughts on the day. But in the meantime, help us continue this fight and support each other. Whether big or small, and as public as you are comfortable with, there are ways for everyone to help. Let us know you can stand with us. For questions around the lawsuits come to our upcoming town hall: July 28th Noon, in Cambridge or over Zoom.

Kelsey Tyssowski speaking at a rally outside the District Court.

AAUP and UAW vs the US Government

News has focused on the Harvard vs the US Government hearing yesterday, but at the same time, in the very same courtroom, AAUP and UAW (our union!) are fighting, too. So, even if Harvard capitulates, our union and our lawyers will keep fighting for our best interests as workers, defending our academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the grants that fund our critical research.

I arrived over an hour before our day in court and still barely got in. Enough people came to observe that we filled the court (and an overflow room), and the hearing lasted 2.5 hours. If you have never seen a court case, I highly recommend attending at least one. It was insightful to see the process of the judicial system.

We have a strong team of lawyers presenting our case. A key focus of the AAUP/UAW case was the permanent damage these attacks are doing to our research and our careers. When Harvard was presenting its case, the focus was very much on its rights as an institution, but the AAUP/UAW case focused on the impacts on us (and on professors).

The Government actually argued that they were going to cut funding to Harvard irrespective of Harvard admins agreeing to the demands. A lot of the Government’s case centered on arguing that the executive branch has unilateral power to cancel grants due to changing agency priorities.

Afterwards, at a rally outside the courthouse, Kelsey (one of our organizers) brought the impacts to the public eye in a passionate speech. Highlighting the importance of us workers, Kelsey said: “Our collective knowledge lives not in textbooks but in the people who work at universities.”

We formed a union because we know that job security, a living wage, and freedom from discrimination are foundational components of a quality life, and our jobs at Harvard should be able to provide it. These federal funding cuts and attacks on higher education threaten that security and freedom. But we know how to fight back. Our lawsuits to protect our funding, our fight against discriminatory attacks on international workers, and our demand for a fair contract are all linked: We seek stable, secure jobs where we do not need to live in fear.

With a powerful union and a strong union contract, we can fight back against these disastrous cuts. We are joining UAW members across the country as we fight to save higher education and advanced research, while seeking a contract that provides much-needed stability and safety.

As a union, we will continue our fight. We will only win through our collective power. There are many ways to help that range in time commitment and public exposure. And every person that helps makes us stronger and makes it easier. If you can help, even just being a local liaison to update your coworkers, fill out this form with a list of ways to get involved.

Always feel free to reach out with any questions.