From the Harvard Crimson: Harvard and its custodians’ union agreed [last] Thursday to work with a federal mediator in ongoing contract negotiations to resolve a deadlock over wage increases — the first time a mediator has stepped into custodial bargaining with the University in at least 20 years. 32BJ Service Employees International Union, which represents roughly 800 Harvard custodians, has been bargaining with Harvard since early October. But it quickly found itself at loggerheads with the University over wage increases, asking Harvard to consistently offer pay hikes that keep up with inflation, which has hovered near 3 percent since 2023.
Dozens of workers went on a two-day strike last month to protest Harvard’s proposals after their contract expired on Nov. 15, but the two parties have not made significant progress since. Harvard proposed entering federal mediation to move negotiations forward during the Thursday session, and the union agreed...
The two parties will meet for the first time with the mediator at their next session, which is currently being scheduled for the week of Dec. 15, according to the union spokesperson. “We understand that Harvard is facing unprecedented attacks by the Trump Administration, but they are still the richest university in the world,” 32BJ Executive Vice President Kevin Brown wrote in a statement, arguing that given its endowment growth, the University “should not resolve its woes on the backs of its lowest-paid, immigrant workers.” ...
Full story at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/12/5/custodian-bargaining-mediation/.
No comments:
Post a Comment