Harvard Grad Students Rally, Deliver Letter to Deans
More than 200 Harvard Graduate Students Union members rallied outside University Hall as the union began its second strike of the year.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Unions
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More than 200 members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union rallied outside University Hall and delivered a letter to Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Emma Dench. The action came as the union began its second strike of the year, after bargaining over wages, benefits and worker protections stalled.
Why it matters
The union, which represents more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate student workers, is pressing for higher pay, benefits, protections for noncitizen workers and an independent process for harassment and discrimination complaints. Harvard has argued that students receiving research-based stipends are not employees under federal labor law, a dispute that goes to the heart of the bargaining relationship.
Harvard's latest offer includes a 6.1 percent immediate raise and 3 percent annual raises, compounding to nearly 16 percent over the contract, while the union's prior 40-day strike was the longest in its history. Harvard removed 800 workers from the bargaining unit the day after the union's June 2025 contract expired, and the next steps in the dispute remain unresolved.
The players
Harvard Graduate Students Union
The union represents more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate student workers at Harvard University and has staged multiple strikes, including a 40-day strike that was the longest in its history.
Harvard University
The private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the employer in the bargaining dispute and has argued that students receiving research-based stipends are not employees under federal labor law.
Emma Dench
Dench is dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, the recipient of the union's letter delivered at the rally.
Nikolas E. Bowie
Bowie is a Harvard Law School professor who spoke at the rally in support of the graduate student workers.
The details
The rally took place outside University Hall on Tuesday, one week after the union's second walkout of the year began. Speakers included Harvard Law School professor Nikolas E. Bowie, local elected officials and members of the Harvard College Democrats.
Timeline
June 2025: The union's contract expired, and Harvard removed 800 workers from the bargaining unit the next day.
Oct. 22: Harvard offered a 6.1 percent raise at the last bargaining session before the strike deadline.
Tuesday, Nov. 4: More than 200 members rallied outside University Hall and delivered a letter to deans.
Thursday, Nov. 6: The two sides are scheduled to resume bargaining.
Season Trajectory
This second strike of the year follows the union's record 40-day walkout, signaling a sustained escalation rather than a one-time protest. Whether the Thursday bargaining session produces movement will determine if the dispute follows the pattern of prolonged labor action set by that earlier strike.
The dispute determines whether roughly 4,000 Harvard student workers receive the proposed 6.1 percent raise and 3 percent annual increases. A breakthrough at Thursday's session could end the current walkout, while failure to reach agreement could extend it.
The takeaway
Pay and protection disputes at major universities increasingly hinge on whether student workers are legally classified as employees, a question that will shape bargaining for graduate workers well beyond Harvard.
What happens next
The two sides are scheduled to resume bargaining on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more on Unions coverage in Cambridge for context on this labor dispute.
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