HUCTW grows increasingly concerned about Harvard administrators’ responses or potential responses to protestors taking part in the encampment in Harvard Yard. HUCTW and Harvard have worked through many complex issues together, even in the face of strong disagreements, with open and honest dialogue, and we urge Harvard administrators to take the same approach to address campus protestors and the encampment.…
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We are writing to let you know about two exciting changes that you may not have heard about that will affect many HUCTW commuters – the first is significant cost reduction for most 5-day unreserved Harvard parking permits, and the second is cost reduction for all MBTA passes.…
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Harvard and HUCTW have longstanding contract language that supports remote work and flex schedule arrangements, and we recently added new, stronger language in our last round of negotiations--all of which may be useful in your discussions with your supervisor around remote/hybrid work. A key theme of the contract language is the idea that flexible work requests (including remote work requests) cannot be unreasonably denied. We’ve shared some key excerpts from the contract here. If you would like advice about making a remote work proposal or if you have made a proposal and it’s been rejected, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a confidential conversation.…
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Many HUCTW members took on substantial additional work during the pandemic, covering for coworkers who left Harvard whose positions were never filled. Union members who take on substantial additional work on top of their regular job duties should be paid for that work, and our Harvard-HUCTW Contract contains longstanding language that supports this idea. HUCTW organizers know that it can be challenging for you initiate this kind of conversation with your manager, but we can help. All conversations are confidential.…
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Please click here to view the HUCTW 2023 Winter Newsletter, which highlights our current negotiations around Harvard's dental insurance change, positive new changes for HUCTW commuter rail users, upcoming events and deadlines, and time reporting instructions for those who work over the Winter Recess. We have been meeting with University leaders about the dental insurance change and we are committed to continuing discussions until a solution can be found that addresses the provider/cost issues appropriately so that members can continue to receive affordable care from dentists they trust. You can read more about these discussions in the newsletter.…
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We are pleased to announce that the new HUCTW Contract, covering the period between October 1, 2022 until June 30, 2026, has been ratified, with 89% of members who took part voting yes to ratify! The final vote tally is 3762 ‘yes’ votes and 466 ‘no’ votes. 85% of all eligible voters cast ballots in this election. Thank you to everyone who voted!The Harvard payroll office will begin processing the pay package now and we believe the first raise will be applied in the June 16, 2023 paycheck, along with delivery of the $1,400 bonus and the lump sum covering the value of the raise on regular pay from October 1, 2022 until the raise implementation date. …
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HUCTW leaders are happy to announce that Union and University negotiators have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract covering the period between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2026. We have sent a comprehensive document containing the full details of the tentative agreement to all members, as well as some key highlights. There will be an online contract ratification vote via electronic ballot from Tuesday, May 30 to Wednesday, May 31. A majority of the HUCTW members who take part in voting must vote “Yes” for this tentative agreement to take effect. HUCTW leaders are strongly recommending a “Yes” vote. …
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As you saw from our open letter last week, we have not yet reached agreement with Harvard on a pay program. We are writing to let you know about upcoming & recent events that we hope will help negotiations reach a fair conclusion as soon as possible! HUCTW will be having a rally for a fair raise in Cambridge during commencement week on May 24 from 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm. Details to follow. Please save the date and time! We also recently received fantastic statements of support from elected officials for HUCTW members & our fight for a fair raise, including new statements from: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts State Senator Pat Jehlen, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, City Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley Jr. & the entire Somerville City Council!…
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As you likely saw last week, Harvard Vice President for HR, Manuel Cuevas-Trisán released a statement on behalf of University administrators regarding Harvard-HUCTW negotiations around pay increases for our 5,000 members. As the letter suggests, the parties have made good progress in some important policy areas, but remain too far apart to reach agreement yet on a pay increase program. We have had positive discussions with University leaders towards reaching an agreement in recent weeks so we were disappointed to see the University’s letter to the community on Friday. Although we had not planned on sending out an open letter, we feel the need to respond to statements made in the University's communication.…
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Although union negotiators have repeatedly expressed a willingness to work creatively and consider alternative approaches to address the inflation problem, management negotiators have not made a meaningful move since their last offer in January. During a difficult negotiation like this one, it is extremely important that we as HUCTW members remain strong, unified, and committed in support for our union as we fight for afair and sustainable pay program that honors our contributions to Harvard's excellence and supports a stable level of economic security for our co-workers and our families. Please do everything that you can to participate in our campaign for a fair raise. …
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