Harvard Grad Students Strike Again as Endowment Hits $68 Billion

Harvard graduate students walked off the job on Tuesday, suspending teaching duties and research projects for the second time this year. The walkout aims to force the university to agree to a new contract with the union. Classes were untaught and lab work stopped across the campus.

The dispute centers on three demands: safe work conditions, fair pay, and the right to stay on campus. These issues have blocked negotiations between university leaders and the more than 4,000 student workers. The current impasse follows a 40-day strike in the spring that ended when schools closed for summer.

Evan Lemire, a fifth-year PhD candidate and union vice president, noted a change in the university's financial standing during a rally at Science Center Plaza. He told the crowd that previous chants referencing a $57 billion endowment needed updating because the fund had grown to $68 billion. The university’s endowment generated a 27 percent return, though most of that money remains restricted by donor guidelines.

The strike coincides with a wider wave of labor activity in Boston academia. Non-tenured faculty and postdocs at Harvard voted to strike on November 10 if no deal is reached. Dining staff also authorized a strike, while graduate students at MIT are preparing for a walkout. At Tufts University, a majority of library staff voted to form a union last week.

Specific contract points remain unresolved. The union seeks pay parity between teaching and research roles, an increase in total support from $50,000 to $55,000, and raises of at least 3 percent or cost-of-living adjustments. They also demand protections for non-citizens, including secure storage of immigration documents and guaranteed leave for visa delays.

John Manning, Harvard’s provost, and Meredith Weenicek, the executive vice president, sent a letter on Monday. They stated the university continues to show an unwavering commitment to reaching an agreement. The letter offered compounded pay increases and emergency funds for legal services for non-US residents. However, the university resisted creating a separate harassment policy exclusively for union members.

Nate Malone, a third-year chemistry PhD student, said the group is more energized and experienced than in the spring. He arrived at the plaza at 8:30 a.m. to set up a check-in table for strike pay. The United Auto Workers provides a $500 weekly stipend to participating students who log specific hours of strike duties.

A parade of over 150 students marched through Harvard Yard to the office of President Alan Garber. Harvard University Police watched the procession, intervening only to keep two students out of the building. An officer called for a staff member to come outside and receive the union’s letter. Lemire read from the document, saying the students would rather be mentoring students than walking a picket line.