Overview
- Custodians walked off the job at 10 a.m. Monday for a strike set to run through Tuesday, the first in at least 50 years, with the union saying more than 800 workers across three units are participating.
- The strike follows a Thursday bargaining session where the 30-member committee walked out, and union leadership called the action without a full-member vote.
- Harvard modestly increased its proposal last week, including an average 0.9 percent bump to wage offers, a $1,000 signing bonus, and a higher legal-fund contribution to $250, according to documents reviewed by The Crimson.
- Union officials say Harvard’s terms amount to roughly 2.2 percent average annual raises and argue the package does not keep pace with inflation, also pointing to a hiring freeze they say has left 40 to 50 custodial jobs unfilled.
- Harvard says it is arranging further bargaining and, citing financial uncertainty, has presented options that include a short-term extension with a bonus or a longer-term deal with bonuses and modest, market-oriented increases.