HGSU-UAW Strike Becomes Longest in Union History as Harvard Holds Firm at Bargaining Table
Source: The Crimson
By Wyeth Renwick and Claire L. Simon, Crimson Staff Writers
3 hours ago
The Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers plans to picket through Commencement after its 27th bargaining session with Harvard ended Thursday without a contract, pushing the walkout into its 31st day — the longest strike in the union’s history.
In an email sent two days before Thursday’s session, HGSU-UAW told the University it would consider a membership vote to end the strike if Harvard moved on five core issues: paid immigration leave, an agency shop, a grievance process for harassment and discrimination, paid medical leave, and pay parity between teaching fellows and research assistants.
University representatives held firm on two of those demands Thursday, declining to advance proposals on an agency shop or a union-supervised grievance process for Title IX cases, according to HGSU-UAW president Denish K. Jaswal. Harvard’s lawyers told the union the prior week that they were “considering” the grievance proposal but were not prepared to make a counteroffer.
On the remaining three issues, the University signaled limited openness. Harvard rejected the union’s paid immigration leave proposal, but indicated it might discuss paid medical and family leave for non-citizen graduate students. Representatives also raised the possibility of bringing teaching fellow pay closer to research assistant levels — the first time the University has engaged on pay parity, Jaswal said.
Harvard graduate student workers plan to continue their strike through Commencement and have called on ceremony speakers to boycott the events in solidarity. | By Finn R. Berard
Read more: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/5/26/hgsu-strike-longest-history/