Harvard Dining Workers Set Tuesday Deadline for Strike

Cambridge, MA — Harvard University's food service workers intend to strike Wednesday, if they do not reach an agreement with the university administration by Tuesday at midnight, the workers' union said in a press release Friday.

The negotiations have been ongoing since late May, comprising over a dozen meetings, including two with a federal mediator present, according to UNITE HERE Local 26.

"Instead of serving breakfast, workers will walk picket lines at more than a dozen locations across Harvard’s undergraduate and graduate campuses," the union press release said.

UNITE HERE Local 26 Lead Negotiator Michael Kramer said in the press release that workers are demanding $35,000 a year, and a health insurance program "that does not shift costs onto those who can least afford it.”

“These are reasonable expectations anywhere, but especially at the richest university in the world," she said in the release.

The union voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing the strike Sept. 15.

The university responded in a statement Friday, saying:

"Harvard deeply values the contributions of its dining services employees, as evidenced by the fact that they receive some of the most generous hourly wages and benefits for food service workers in the region. The fact that the average tenure of a Harvard dining hall worker is 12 years is a testament to the quality of work opportunities here.

Over the past four months, Harvard has been committed to working with Local 26 in good faith to reach a new agreement that recognizes our colleagues’ important contributions while supporting the University’s core mission of research, teaching and learning.

We have proposed creative solutions to issues presented by the union, and hoped union representatives would contribute to finding creative, workable solutions at the negotiation table. We are disappointed that thus far they have been unwilling to do so.

It’s been well documented over the past several years that healthcare costs continue to rise. The situation at Harvard is no different, and as such, the University has proposed modest changes to insurance offerings, while at the same time creating tiered premiums and reimbursement programs to protect lower-wage workers. The healthcare plan proposed by the University is one that has been agreed to by unions representing more than 5,000 employees across campus.

While we hope that the union will work with us to reach a resolution, Harvard has contingency plans in place in the event of a strike to mitigate disruption to our community members, many of whom rely on Harvard University Dining Services for their on-campus meals."

It also provided a link to more information on its wages and health insurance benefits, which you can view here.

Image via Local 26