We are writing to let you know that FAS administrators and HR representatives have begun scheduling meetings with HUCTW leaders regarding layoffs and proposed job changes in FAS. Those meetings began last week and have continued into this week, with more scheduled in the days ahead. The first set of changes FAS administrators brought to us affects members who fall under the Harvard College reporting structure (approximately 70 members are coded as Harvard College staff according to our records). FAS administrators are hoping to notify all Harvard College staff Thurs. July 23, whether their jobs are affected or not, as you may have seen in Dean Hoekstra’s message sent earlier today.

FAS administrators spent many months planning and discussing these cuts, but now they are attempting to rush through these important discussions as quickly as possible. For HUCTW leaders, the primary focus of those discussions is exploring and pushing for every possible alternative to layoffs, not moving the process along for the sake of expediency.

If FAS administrators ultimately move forward with a proposed layoff after consultations take place, school administrators and HR representatives have the right to notify each affected member first, but an HUCTW organizer will reach out to those members as soon as possible afterward to explain what next steps are available, and to talk with them about the HUCTW Work Security Program and how HUCTW leaders will support them throughout that program. Likewise, if members are offered the choice between accepting a different position or taking a layoff, an HUCTW organizer will contact those individuals very soon after they are notified to discuss their options and the support HUCTW will provide. Even if you do not fall into either of these categories, please don’t hesitate to contact us at huctw.info@huctw.org if you would like to meet or speak with an organizer. All discussions with your HUCTW organizer are confidential.

HUCTW Layoff Consultation Process

As a reminder, before administrators can move forward with layoffs, they must first engage in a detailed consultation process with HUCTW about each affected employee. During that process, they are required to explain and justify every proposed layoff or significant job change, including the financial and structural rationale, why a particular member was selected over others, what will happen to that member’s work and who will perform it, and which alternatives were considered and rejected before proposing layoffs.

HUCTW leaders ask whether work is truly disappearing or simply being shifted onto remaining staff whose workloads are already full. If it is the latter, we press administrators to explain how employees are expected to absorb those additional responsibilities without overburdening staff, diminishing services to students and faculty, or setting employees up to fail.

Most importantly, we demand that administrators fully explore with us every possible alternative to layoffs—including preserving existing positions where possible, creating new or modified roles, offering affected staff other open jobs within the department, school, or elsewhere at Harvard, offering voluntary layoffs, and pursuing any other solution that could prevent job loss. You can read more about the contractually mandated layoff consultation process on our website.

Again, please don’t hesitate to contact us at huctw.info@huctw.org if you would like to meet or speak with an organizer. All discussions with your HUCTW organizer are confidential.