Business & Finance

Harvard, dining hall workers reach tentative agreement to end strike

Workers walked off the job on Oct. 5 seeking to secure health benefits and higher wages.
Oct. 25, 2016

Harvard University has reached a tentative agreement with campus dining workers who have been on strike for nearly three weeks.

The Harvard Crimson reports that the deal still must ratified by the full membership of UNITE HERE Local 26, the union that represents Harvard’s dining service workers..

Union leaders say employees could return to work as early as Thursday.

The Boston Globe reports that the university agreed to a five-year contract that calls for a minimum full-time salary of $35,000, no increases in health insurance costs, and compensation for employees who are laid off during the summer.

About 750 dining service workers went on strike on Oct. 5 as the union sought to increase wages and to maintain the university’s current health benefits package.

The tentative agreement came after a day of intense picketing and rallying by workers and student supporters. More than 500 students walked out of class and staged a sit-in that lasted late into the night.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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