Harvard and HUCTW have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on a one-year contract, which will cover the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.  This document contains the full details of every change that comprises this TA. Other than the changes detailed below, all benefits, policies, and provisions of the previous contract will remain unchanged in the new contract.

Under this one-year TA, all members with at least one year of service who work 35 hours per week will receive a raise of $2,300 to their annual salary. Full details are below. For a member with the average HUCTW salary ($75,000) and at least one year of service, a $2,300 raise amounts to a salary increase of 3.1%. We have also provided a salary increase calculator so that you can determine your raise if you work hours other than 35 or if you have less than one year of Harvard service.

In the coming weeks, HUCTW members will have the opportunity to vote on the ratification of this Tentative Agreement. It will be a simple yes/no vote that will take place on May 12–13 using a secure online voting process. The HUCTW Elections Committee will send members more details about the ratification vote soon.

HUCTW’s Executive Board, organizing staff, and negotiators unanimously recommend a “yes” vote.

HUCTW leaders will set up meetings in all schools or departments over the next several weeks leading up to the vote to answer questions and discuss the Tentative Agreement, but as always please do not hesitate to reach out to your HUCTW organizer or write to us at huctw.info@huctw.org.

You can read the full TA below.

HUCTW Salary Increase Program

Effective July 1, 2026, all HUCTW bargaining unit employees with at least one year of service who work 35 hours per week will receive a raise of $2,300 to their annual salary. The raise is prorated for members who work hours other than 35 or have fewer than 12 months of service at the University.

What does this mean?

• $2,300 is the salary increase for someone who works a 35-hour work week (the most common weekly schedule for HUCTW members). For those who work more or less hours than 35, the raise is adjusted based on the individual member’s regular weekly hours. For example, if a member works half time (17.5 hours per week), their raise will be $1,150. If a member works 40 hours per week, their raise will be $2,629. We have provided a salary increase calculator so that you can determine your raise if you work hours other than 35.
• The raise is the same for all salary levels. For example, if you have at least one year of service and work 35 hours per week, your raise will be $2,300, regardless of whether your salary is $50,000, $70,000, or $90,000. Similarly, if you have at least one year of service and work 40 hours per week, your raise will be $2,629, regardless of whether your salary is $50,000, $70,000, or $90,000.
• To be eligible for the full raise, an HUCTW staff member must have at least one year of service as of July 1, 2026. For a member with less than a year of service, their salary increase will be $1,150. Service length is based on a member’s total Harvard service, not just their service in their current department or school. Again, this raise is prorated for those who work more or less than 35 hours. If this applies to you, you can use the salary increase calculator to determine your raise.
• If you have reached the maximum of your salary grade and the raise would increase your salary above the top of your grade, you will receive a pensionable bonus in lieu of any amount that falls above the grade maximum. This typically only applies to members who have many years of Harvard service within the same salary grade.

For reference, the salary increase program for the previous four years can be found in the Agreement, pages 26–28.

HUCTW Salary Grades

Effective July 1, 2026, the minimum and maximum of each HUCTW salary grade (grades 47-56) will increase by 2%.

For reference, the salary grade minimums and maximums for the previous four years can be found in the Agreement, pages 45–48.

HUCTW Joint Funds

Effective July 1, 2026, the total budget for the HUCTW joint funds will increase by 3%, bringing the total one-year budget for those programs up to $3,676,896.

The HUCTW joint funds and programs include: the Childcare Fund, the Education Fund, the Transportation Fund, the Academic Enrichment Fund, the Joint Work Security Program, the Joint Activity and Training Fund, and the Joint Supplemental Fund.

For reference, funding amounts for the previous four years can be found in the Agreement, page 40.

Other than the changes detailed above, all other provisions of the previous contract will remain the same in the new contract, if ratified. You can download a PDF version of the comprehensive TA (with the additional explanation and examples shown above) from our website.

Again, in the coming weeks, HUCTW members will have the opportunity to vote on the ratification of this Tentative Agreement. It will be a simple yes/no vote that will take place on May 12–13 using a secure online voting process. The HUCTW Elections Committee will send members more details about the ratification vote soon.

Please reach out to us at huctw.info@huctw.org with any questions in the meantime.