Graduate student workers at Harvard University walked off their jobs on Tuesday on the first day of a union strike, indefinitely stopping teaching, grading and laboratory research.
Wages and changes to working conditions are the main holdups, student leaders say.
Monday’s bargaining session — the last scheduled before the Harvard Graduate Student Union’s midnight deadline — avoided talks of wages and other economic issues before the union formally confirmed the walkout.
“Striking is not something we want to do,” said Sara Speller, president of the Harvard Graduate Student Union and doctoral student in music. “But we’re hoping that by having this work stoppage, the university will finally understand that the academic learning and research that takes place at this institution is very heavily impacted by the work that we as student workers do.”
The union represents more than 4,000 student workers. The strike, which was authorized in early April, comes after 15 months of contract negotiations and nearly a year without a contract.
Students began picketing Tuesday morning at both Harvard’s main campus in Cambridge, and Harvard Medical School in Longwood Medical Area, according to the union’s website.
University Provost John Manning and Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick said in a statement on Friday that Harvard is committed to reaching a deal.
“We believe any agreement must recognize the important contributions of our graduate student workers to Harvard’s teaching and research mission,” they wrote.
The union’s previous contract expired in June 2025, leaving graduate student workers without access to benefit funds that can be used for child care and medical expenses.
Students hope to push university officials to address the union’s key issues, including: wage increases, recourse for harassment and discrimination, support for non-citizen students and academic freedom protections. They want graduate students to have the option for complaints of harassment or discrimination to be reviewed by an independent arbitrator.
As previously reported by The Harvard Crimson, the union presented counters on non-citizen worker protections, academic retaliation, grievance and arbitration, and appointment letters. Harvard countered only on appointment letters.
“We tried to have faith in the bargaining process, but, after 14 months, it has become clear that our only option is to strike,” said Evan Lemire, a doctoral candidate in population health sciences and union executive board member. “Our work is not sustainable and our community is not safe without the protections we are advocating for. Harvard must understand that the university is built on our labor, and that labor is not guaranteed.”
The next bargaining session is scheduled for April 28, one week into the strike.
“[The strike] will last for as long as it needs to for the university to see us as equals at the table, which we are, according to labor law,” said Speller. “If we decide that we will end this strike before we reach a full contract, the strike threat of the fall is still something we are heavily considering.”
Tuesday’s strike marks the third in the union’s history since it officially formed in 2018. The union previously went on strike in 2019 and again in 2021.
