Graduate Student Strike: How to Support HGSU-UAW Workers

The Harvard Graduate Student Union (HGSU-UAW), which represents approximately 5,000 graduate student workers on the Harvard campus, has been engaged in contract negotiations with Harvard administrators since October 2018. Unfortunately, Harvard and HGSU-UAW negotiators have not yet been able to reach agreement. As a result, on October 25, 2019, HGSU-UAW members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Following that vote, graduate student negotiators indicated that if the parties fail to reach an agreement by Tuesday, December 3, 2019, HGSU graduate student workers across Harvard will go on strike.…

Update on 2020 Health Insurance Changes

In preparation for the 2020 Benefits Open Enrollment period (October 23 – November 6, 2019), Harvard Human Resources has mailed a postcard to all University employees previewing two new health benefit changes for 2020. HUCTW leaders are writing the following note in order to explain the changes in more detail, describe our Union’s role in discussions around the changes, and offer reassurance that the changes should not have significant impact on Union members. There are two changes discussed in the letter – the first one applies to HUCTW members and the second one does not apply to HUCTW members.…

Your 2019 Salary Increase

We want to remind you that the next pay raise for HUCTW members will be delivered on October 1, 2019. You need to have been on the payroll for a full year as of October 1, 2019 to be eligible for the full 2019 raise. The average member (which is someone who earns approximately $60,000 and has more than one year of service) will receive about a 3.5% salary increase to their base pay. You can use a downloadable (Excel) salary calculator below to determine your estimated salary increase for 2019. Members with less than a year of service will receive pro-rated increases of 1% or 2%, depending on their months of service.…

HUCTW Election: December 10

The HUCTW election for HUCTW Officers, Union Executive Board Positions, and Local Union Representatives will take place on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at numerous voting locations across Harvard. You need to be an HUCTW member in order to vote and and you must bring a photo ID. You can vote at any ballot location. If you have not yet signed a membership card, you may do so at any time, including at the polls on December 10th.…

TAP Tax Reimbursement Deadline: Friday, October 4

This is a final reminder about the deadline for the Transitional TAP Fund (TTF) application, which is this Friday, October 4. Harvard created the Transitional TAP Fund (TTF) in order to reimburse you 100% for any taxes you owe on Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) benefits for the fall 2019 semester. You must complete and submit the two forms listed on the following webpage by October 4 in order to receive the tax reimbursement. …

Updates on Harvard’s New Tax on Tuition Benefits

If you submitted a TAP for with your supervisor's signature and if you still had tax withheld in your 9/27/2019 paycheck, Harvard indicates that they will repay you for the tax that was withheld by the next paycheck (10/11/2019) and you will not have any more tax withheld in future paychecks. Additionally, if you are taking Harvard classes that are NOT job related this semester (or if you did not submit a TAP form), Harvard will pay 100% the tax you owe on your TAP benefits if you fill out two required forms.…

Tuition Assistance Deadlines: Sept 11 & Oct 4

We want to make you aware of two upcoming deadlines (Sept 11 and Oct 1) for those of you who are using the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) during the fall 2019 semester. As you may recall from an earlier email we sent, Harvard is now withholding tax for graduate-level tuition benefits that meet certain criteria. If you are taking a Harvard class during the fall 2019 semester, please read this entire message as it lists two different ways to for you to avoid owing tax on your TAP benefits this semester.…

Tax Change to Harvard Tuition Benefits

HUCTW members who use Harvard tuition benefit programs recently received a message from the Harvard Benefits Office indicating that in order to ensure compliance with current IRS standards and practices, the University will begin withholding tax on tuition assistance benefits for classes that meet certain criteria. HUCTW is very concerned about this change and we are working hard to better understand its tax implications for members. We have begun working with Harvard administrators to find ways to minimize the impact and identify potential long term solutions. …

Update on HUCTW’s Contingent Work Policy

This communication is meant to provide an update on the implementation of the new Harvard-HUCTW policy limiting the use of Temps and less-than-half-time workers (LHTs), which took effect in March. More important, this letter discusses the reasons behind the new policies and how they benefit the members of our community. The intent of the new rules is to ensure that unbenefited employment categories are used only for truly short-term projects, or for tasks that require very minimal weekly hours. Essentially, the revised policy aims to make certain that staff doing regular jobs on a regular basis have the benefits and protections of regular Harvard employment. …

Need Help Taking a Time Away?

Everyone needs and deserves time away from work to relax and recharge. Regular vacations make for healthier, happier employees and a more productive workplace. Sometimes members tell us they feel pressure from their supervisor(s), colleagues, or even themselves, not to take time away from work for vacation. Others have indicated that it feels like their vacation requests are regularly denied. An HUCTW organizer can help you navigate these types of situations with your supervisor or colleagues.…

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