Unionized Harvard students go on strike
Recently unionized Harvard student workers went on strike Tuesday, refusing to grade papers, supervise exams, or conduct research unrelated to their academic programs. The strike began on the eve of the exam period for the fall semester, as the University and the Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers (HGSU-UAW) continued to trade proposals on compensation, benefits, and other sticking points. University and union representatives have said they will continue to negotiate as the strike proceeds. Picketers gathered in snowy Harvard Yard in mid-morning, and their numbers swelled to more than 500. Lines of strikers, wearing large blue-and-white “UAW ON STRIKE” placards around their necks, walked slowly around the Yard’s circumference. The negotiations have been underway for 13 months, and the two sides have reached agreement on 12 articles. Differences remain, however, on central issues such as wages, benefits, and grievance procedures. The University has put in place contingency plans to ensure that remaining academic...