TLDR: As we are getting ready to discuss setting a strike deadline at our General Membership Meeting on 10/13, the bargaining committee is focussing on our core economic demands: strong wages, support for families, and fair benefits for all. We also reasserted the need for union security provisions so that HAW can support all our workers once the contract is ratified. On the other side, Admin’s counters maintained a troubling plan for implementing the new lecturer positions.
Join our General Membership Meeting on Tuesday October 13th at 5:15pm in-person in Cambridge or in Longwood (food provided, zoom will also be available). All members should attend to discuss the state of bargaining, our contract priorities and set a timeline for our fall actions up to a possible strike deadline should Harvard not meet our fair demands.
In solidarity,
The FAS/HMS/HDS HAW-UAW Bargaining Committee
Full update
We came to our last bargaining session with the first part of a package of all our 13 economic articles, in a serious effort to zero in on our core priorities and get this contract settled. These priorities, based on hundreds of conversations with HAW workers, include better compensations, better parental support, fair benefits and paid leaves for all.
In Paid Leave we reasserted our demands for 15 weeks of fully paid parental leave (instead of 12, partially paid) and paid leave for victims of domestic abuse. In Visa Processing Costs we reassessed a $1500 reimbursement for visa-related travel. In Retirement, we maintain that postdocs and TAs should be eligible for retirement, after the standard 3-year vesting period. In most other articles we try to preserve in our contract current policies which Harvard could otherwise unilaterally change at any time. As always, you’ll find all the details on our bargaining update page.
In the next session on 10/5 we will present our core economic articles Compensations, Medical Benefits and Family Benefits as well as Professional Development and Retiree Benefits.
We also reasserted our right to a strong union that can enforce our contract. In Union Security, we reaffirmed that all workers covered by our contract should contribute a fee to cover the costs of their representation. This is standard in union contracts and almost all other Harvard unions have won this.
Harvard admin returned our Titles & Classifications package from the past bargaining session with little substantive movement, continuing to reject inclusion of stipendees, reasonable workload protections for teachers, and continuing to require lecturers to re-apply for their jobs at the end of their current appointment. Overall we have made a lot of progress towards ending time caps and improving working conditions of teaching faculty, but we need to keep the pressure up.
In most other articles we try to preserve in our contract current policies which Harvard could change at any time:
- In Housing: we seek to maintain no down payment to access Harvard housing (status quo), the possibility to stay in Harvard Housing apartment for 6 months after your job ends, zero interest housing hardship loans (which our friends at HUCTW have won).
- In Tuition Assistance and Reimbursement Programs: we want to preserve 75%/up to $5250 for Tuition Reimbursement and TA eligibility for Tuition Assistance
- In Public Service Loan Forgiveness: we request a clear and quick process for certification of employment for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
- In Relocation: we want to preserve the status quo that Harvard can elect to provide relocation reimbursement.
- In Parking and Transit: we adjusted our demands for a parking benefit for the same amount as the status quo transit benefit ($650/year).
Next session will be our 50th, on Monday 10/5 at 11am.
The following sessions will be on Monday, 10/ 19 at 11am and Friday, 10/30 at 10:30am. You can sign up here to attend!