Real Recourse for Harrasment and Discrimination
Our data shows that at least 1 in 5 workers experience harassment, discrimination, and/or bullying in their workplace as researchers and teachers. When an issue comes up, definitions of what constitute harassment are defined by the University and subject to change whenever they’d like. The different processes for handling different issues make things confusing and burdensome for workers: especially since student workers are responsible for their own legal feels.
Harvard’s processes are expensive, exhausting, and designed to make workers give up. They are set up to make the Harvard administration the judge, jury, and executioner. We need to make a change.
This is why we are asking for the three pillars of Real Recourse: choice, clarity, and care.
CHOICE
We feel that workers have the right to go through the Union grievance process and/or go through University processes, as they see fit for themselves.
We are demanding changes that better allow Union representatives to support you in navigating departmental, University-level, and independent arbitration processes. This is standard across other student worker contracts at Universities around the country, and for other Unions at Harvard, and we deserve to be on par with our peers!
CLARITY
We want clear definitions of harassment, discrimination, and bullying WITHIN our contract that Harvard cannot change at will (e.g., in its negotiations with the regressive policies of the Trump administration).
We also want explicit protections against retaliation for our speech as citizens, researchers, and educators. We should be able to protect ourselves and speak out against mistreatments in the workplace, without threats of retaliation from our supervisors and employers.
CARE
We are advocating for workers during the most vulnerable periods in their lives. Workers should not be punished for trying to secure safe and equitable working conditions.
We are asking for stronger rights for our disabled workers in need. This includes ensuring clear timelines on requests for accommodations, and the ability to receive full access to benefits and healthcare if placed on involuntary leave.
We are also asking for a lab transition program that provides 6 months of funding if workers needs to leave their labs due to bullying or harassment.
Here is what we have versus what we NEED:
LEFT: the current processes, and what Harvard wants us to keep using. Trust is low in University processes: in 2019, one of Harvard’s Title IX coordinators told a worker that reporting to the press would have more impact that participating in Harvard’s internal process. We need better.
RIGHT: the system that we have proposed, and that Harvard has struck down many times during current negotiations. We deserve a fair system that includes 3rd-party representation and access to communal support.
