TLDR: Voting to authorize a strike opens on March 27th. Attend Cambridge and Longwood area town halls next week to learn more and make a plan to win a fair contract!

Last fall, we delivered our Contract Now petition to Harvard administration insisting they bargain a fair contract, and we followed that up at the beginning of this year with a mass rally outside the Science Center. In the interim, the Harvard administration has continued to stall on crucial issues such as protections for non-citizen workers, protections from abuse, discrimination, and harassment, and job security. At the same time that they raised our health care costs, their economic proposal would freeze our wages and only offer minimal yearly increases that don’t keep up with inflation. They have put proposals on the table so incoherent and illogical that we could not accept them, even if we wanted to. All the while, they continue to insist on the exclusion of vast swaths of our unit on arbitrary grounds.

After 18 months of bargaining, we have waited long enough for the administration to do the right thing. Now is the time to escalate.

That is why we, the Bargaining Committee, with the support and approval of our Organizing Committee, are announcing the opening of a Strike Authorization Vote, and asking members to authorize a Strike if necessary.

Our Vote will open Friday, March 27th at 7:00AM. Voting will take place online by secret ballot. Workers who have not yet signed an union authorization card may do so digitally as part of the voting process. Eligible voters are non-tenure-track teachers and researchers in FAS, HMS, and HDS.

We urge all of you to participate. This is our opportunity to show the Harvard administration the strength of our collective power and to compel them to negotiate reasonably on our key issues so that we can win the contract we deserve. We hope to avoid a strike, but we need to be prepared to show the administration that our concerns cannot simply be stonewalled and dismissed.

We know you may have many questions and we will be hosting two town halls prior to the opening of the SAV. We hope to see you there to answer questions and discuss potential concerns:

  • Wednesday, March 25th, Longwood Campus, at NRB 1031 from 12-1:30PM
  • Thursday, March 26th, Cambridge Campus, at Science Center Hall C from 12-1:30PM

*If you cannot attend in person but would be able to attend a Zoom town hall, please respond to this email to let us know and we will be in touch with Zoom options soon.

Before You Vote!

  • Read our FAQs to learn more about our SAV
  • Contact us at hawuawbc@gmail.com with any questions or concerns
  • Attend a town hall or info session! Along with the above dates, there will be opportunities to learn more and ask questions about the SAV in the coming weeks.
  • Let us know if you’re ready to vote yes and would like to get involved! Sign our strike commitment pledge and fill out the form, and one of us will be in touch!

After you vote!

  • Follow us on Instagram!
  • Tell your coworkers why you voted “yes” and why they should, too
  • Make a testimonial about why you voted “yes” and share it via this form for our social media

In solidarity,

HAW-UAW (FAS,HDS,HMS) Bargaining Committee