Harvard Union of
Residential Advisors
Union Election Details
Tutors/Proctors
Smith Campus Center, Isaacson Room
April 19th, 4:30 – 5:30pm
April 23-24, 5:00 – 8:00pm
House Aides/Associates
Smith Campus Center, South Arcade Room
April 19th, 4:30 – 5:30pm
April 24, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Contact us at @HarvardResUnion on all platforms | HarvardResidentialAdvisors (at) gmail (dot) com
Upcoming Election Questions
The Office of Labor & Employee Relations and other folks in the Administration are actively sending anti-union emails regarding our democratic campaign to organize a union for all tutors, proctors, and house aides. These emails were likely drafted by lawyers who specialize in union avoidance at Seyfarth Shaw, and they contain many misleading statements about our entirely grassroots, employee-led union campaign. We want to set the record straight and provide the facts about unionization at Harvard.
For resident tutors and proctors:
INCLUDED: All resident tutors & proctors appointed to positions in Harvard University housing for undergraduates in Harvard College
EXCLUDED: All office clerical employees, managers, guards, and professional employees and supervisors as defined in the National Labor Relations Act.
For house aides/associates:
INCLUDED: All house aides appointed to positions in Harvard University housing for undergraduates in Harvard College
EXCLUDED: All office clerical employees, managers, guards, and professional employees and supervisors as defined in the National Labor Relations Act.
Resident tutors and proctors will be able to vote in the Isaacson Room of the Smith Campus Center on April 19th from 4:30 – 5:30pm, and on April 23rd – 24th from 5:00 – 8:00pm both days.
House aides/associates will be able to vote in the South Arcade Room of the Smith Campus Center on April 19th from 4:30 – 5:30pm, and on April 24th from 5:00 – 8:00pm.
The National Labor Relations Board conducts a secret ballot election according to federal guidelines. Your name is in no way associated with the vote or the ballot and no one will know how you voted. HURA itself does not oversee the election process.
Unfortunately, no. According to the terms of our agreement with Harvard and the NLRB, all voting for this election will be in person in the Smith Center. The NLRB currently does not facilitate any sort of online voting process.
A “yes” vote means you want HURA to be your union for collective bargaining toward a union contract. A “no” means you don’t want HURA to be your union.
A result will be based on a simple majority of ballots cast (50 percent plus one). We agree with Harvard on this one: every eligible worker should vote!
Yes, but only to the extent mandated by law (your name, job info, phone number, email address, etc.). The only people with access to this information are HURA organizers, all of whom are members of the Harvard community, and none of which will be shared outside of HURA. You may receive calls, texts, and emails in the coming weeks talking about our union and the election process, but you can always opt out if you just let us know!
Absolutely! HURA got its start through an on-the-ground campaign between coworkers about the needs and desires of the residential advisor community. A union is a democratic institution, and nothing should stop you from sharing your opinion with your coworkers.
Harvard argued that house aides are sufficiently different from tutors and proctors that they should have a separate election, so they’ll vote on their own. Should both units win, we’ll all fall under the HURA umbrella, but we will bargain separate contracts. Either unit that has a majority yes vote will be part of HURA even if the other votes no.
Responses to Harvard's FAQ
Responses to Harvard's FAQ
It means that HURA will be able to bargain over working conditions, and Harvard would be legally obligated to engage in negotiations over changes that tutors, proctors, and house aides would like to see in their workplaces. “Exclusive” is a scary word, but it just means the government doesn’t allow multiple unions to represent the same position.
In HURA, employees will collectively set the bargaining agenda. It will be up to you and your coworkers to decide what terms are proposed to Harvard during negotiations and what terms are eventually agreed upon. At every step of the process, proctors, tutors, and house aides will be able to provide direct input either through directly electing a representative bargaining committee, providing information through the future bargaining survey, drafting proposals alongside bargaining committee members, or potentially attending bargaining sessions when they occur.
Yes! Collective bargaining agreements (also called CBAs or contracts) are very flexible and customizable. While some provisions might be shared between contracts, that is up to the member and bargaining representatives to decide.
The goal of our union is to address the issues that arise in our work that haven’t been sufficiently addressed by Harvard. However, aspects of your job that you don’t want to change don’t have to change. Many unions work to codify the positive aspects of their work in their contracts. That way, those terms cannot suddenly change without the chance to negotiate with a seat at the table.
That would be a subject of negotiations. While Harvard truthfully states they don’t know what might be included in a contract, they also consistently ask leading questions about worst-case scenarios without providing any other context. Ultimately, HURA is made up of your coworkers and colleagues, and we don’t want to deprive our colleagues of the opportunity to work other jobs on campus. If such a provision should arise during the course of negotiations, it would be subject to further negotiation and eventually the collective approval of HURA members.
If a tutor/proctor/house aide currently holds a position with the power to hire, fire, and direct other employees, they will be exempted from HURA according to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). However, this does not mean they cannot hold a position as a tutor/proctor/house aide if HURA is certified. For example, in the newly-certified Harvard Academic Workers Union, there are many cases where supervisory staff hold union positions. Rather than being excluded from teaching, they are exempted from the union.
There’s also a difference between an “exempt employee” and a “supervisory” employee. Not all exempt employees are supervisors. We recommend chatting with a union organizer to talk through whether your staff position exempts you from HURA according to the NLRA.
- After a union is certified, Harvard must maintain the status quo until a union contract is agreed upon. Meaning, there should not be any changes which immediately affect international students.
- A huge chunk of the tutor/proctor workforce consists of international students. It is a lose/lose situation if Harvard really wants to take that stance. Additionally, if it was truly a legal issue, Harvard would’ve challenged the union petition much like MIT challenged the graduate student fellows on the basis of the affects on international student status. They did not.
- When the graduate student union was forming, Harvard leveraged similar rhetoric during their election. At that time, it was very new for graduate researchers to be considered employees. When it came to bargaining, a creative agreement was reached which allowed student workers to both teach and do research within the confines of visa restrictions by using a special classification called “Research Assistant 2.” We will aggressively pursue similar creative solutions through collective bargaining over titles/classifications.
Like the previous few points, what happens in bargaining is flexible, and your coworkers would never try to harm others by implementing restrictive provisions around hours. For example, in the Harvard Graduate Students Union contract, this issue was addressed by crafting a combined title to encompass student workers simultaneously engaged in teaching and research in order to maintain compliance with visa restrictions..
Harvard says “[some] fellowships often do not permit employment in addition to the fellowship,” but they fail to mention you’re already an employee in your tutor, proctor, or house aide role! Harvard doesn’t contest this. There are also a number of resident life unions like HURA that already exist across the country. To put it plainly, if you’re not already excluded from a fellowship, there’s nothing about being unionized that should inherently change your eligibility.
We don’t know! Bargaining can take less than a year, or it can take much longer. It depends on how quickly Harvard is willing to bargain while also meeting the needs of tutors, proctors, and house aides.
Harvard claims that “a union’s bargaining priorities are set by a bargaining committee,” but that is not how HURA plans to operate. At this time, the structure of bargaining, the composition of the bargaining committee, and bargaining priorities have not been decided. Typically, these decisions are made after union elections, and we will move forward with the involvement of all tutors, proctors, and house aides who wish to be involved. The bargaining committee will consist of your coworkers and will embody the collective will of all residential advisors. Once elected by the members, the committee will seek to secure the demands of the membership.
It is true that non-members are often not eligible to vote on union contracts, but during first-contract negotiations, there is virtually no barrier to joining HURA other than working as a tutor, proctor, or house aide. If there ever is a requirement like dues, that would be voted on and subject to the approval of membership first.
No. However, having a union contract does not mean everything is set in stone. When members desire flexibility, contracts can reflect those desires by setting minimum standards. If a provision does not meet your needs, the union can serve as a vehicle for you to advocate and improve your own arrangement. You would often be free to try and seek changes with your supervisor, just as you can now, but with the added weight and support of your colleagues to back you up.
Not now, but maybe in the future. At this time, HURA does not require dues, and dues would have to be approved by the membership. Should dues be required at any point, they would be paid strictly on monetary compensation, not your housing and meals, nor on wages from any job that isn’t part of HURA.
This is a misrepresentation. HURA’s draft platform, including any notes about potential compensation in a future contract, is not set in stone nor guaranteed. That has always been the case, and it is clearly stated alongside the draft platform itself. Rather, like with any other union contract, it’s unlikely an agreement with more costs than benefits would be ratified by your coworkers. You have the final say on the contract that is implemented at the end of this process!
Yes, and in a couple of different ways. Harvard mentions the union decertification process, which would completely remove the union after a year through a process enacted by the National Labor Relations Board much like the election process, but that’s not the only way! Unions are also democratic bodies, and while the formal leadership structure for HURA is not yet established, it will be up to you to decide after the election. Typically, unions have a process for recalling members of union leadership if you’re unsatisfied with their actions or how they represent you. Additionally, even if you’re opposed to unionization/HURA, federal law sets a standard for fair representation regardless of predisposition toward your union.
General Union FAQ
General Union FAQ
General Union FAQ
General Union FAQ
A labor union or trade union organizes a group of workers to propose and fight for the well-being of their members in the workplace. Harvard employs more than ~300 residential advisors across the 13 Houses and 4 Yards, from tutors and proctors to house aides and non-residential advisors. A labor union could provide all these workers a channel for collective bargaining with the University.
Labor unions strive to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to their surrounding communities. By negotiating for the conditions of work collectively, people in a labor union can participate democratically in their workplace and improve their pay, benefits, and working conditions.
(Source: https://www.unionplus.org/page/what-union)
NO. That would be illegal. The National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) is a U.S. law that gives the people who work for employers like Harvard the right to “form, join, or assist labor organizations.” These employers cannot retaliate against workers who unionize or hire or fire someone because they do or do not support unionization.
Our aim is to help you make an informed decision about joining our fight. If you feel that you have seen or experienced negative consequences from your attempts to learn more about the Harvard Union of Residential Advisors, please contact harvardresidentialadvisors@gmail.com.
The best way to confront intimidation and retaliation is to do so together, one of the tenets of a union. Additionally, we gain protections as organizing workers under US labor law when we are building a union.
(Source: https://www.nlrb.gov/guidance/key-reference-materials/national-labor-relations-act)
There’s large variability in our roles: Though we share similar responsibilities, tutors, proctors, house aides, and other residential staff may receive wildly different forms of compensation, including different living arrangements, meal plans and working conditions. Performance evaluations are largely opaque, and decisions about compensation, time off, and workload are oftentimes arbitrary and left to individual deans, with no formal route of appeal. Reimbursement delays have made a job financially straining for many of us. And none of us are eligible for Harvard’s healthcare benefits in our role as residential advisors.
We want to advocate for tutors, proctors, and house aides to earn equal treatment and value at Harvard. We think that a union will offer the resources and experience we need to represent our collective goals. Organizing as a unit will ensure our work accounts for our needs and our students’ needs simultaneously, and that we receive fair and liveable compensation.
By participating in organizing efforts, you are helping all of us build a better workplace. Being a member of our union will also ensure that you can shape the changes you’d like to see in your workplace, not only by sharing your lived experience as a residential advisor, but also by voting on the contract we negotiate.
Possibly: to negotiate with an organization wielding a $50 billion endowment, we will need dues to fund legal and operational expenses. What amount that will be depends on whether we affiliate with a union (like the Harvard Graduate Students Union has affiliated with United Auto Workers) and the compensation package we obtain from negotiations. And we will vote on whatever contract our representatives set with Harvard before we start paying dues.
Additionally, dues are only paid off wages (such as stipends), not the cash-equivalent of your housing and meal swipes.
One goal of our organizing is to ensure that we receive compensation that is reflective of our work — in other words, to increase our compensation package. Part of this process may include dues to participate in the larger union and receive the support that will lead to this goal. Dues are often offset by a larger compensation package in union contracts. Moreover, any kind of contract would have to be approved by a majority of our membership.
Dues could look like an annual amount or a percentage of a monthly paycheck, assuming we win a monthly paycheck. The primary use of dues will be to winning and then enforcing a strong contract, which will likely require legal fees.
Harvard cannot retaliate against you through your room/board if we unionize, or else it would be in violation of the NLRA.
The union may advocate for positive changes around food and housing in the future. These advocacy efforts would be based on the collective decision-making of tutors, proctors, and House aides. The goal of any organizing efforts is to improve our life and our workplace, not impair the quality of life of any residential advisor (or student, for that matter).
Students’ experiences in their Houses and dorms is a critical part of this movement. Forming a union will allow tutors, proctors, and House aides to better serve Harvard’s undergraduate student body. Right now, the discrepancies in expectations and food/housing packages amongst tutors, proctors, and House aides leaves staff overworked and unprepared to address the most common student problems we encounter.
More vulnerable populations, particularly first generation and low income students, are affected when their residential advisors have to pay out of pocket for study breaks, when their committee representatives receive inadequate compensation, or when their tutor cannot ask for a raise.
Through more transparent role requirements and better compensation — all achievable through unionization — tutors, proctors, and house aides will be better equipped to perform their role and support student communities. We hope to coordinate our unionizing campaign with SLAM, the Students for Labor Action Movement, and other student groups so that students have a voice in our union.
International and undocumented workers can freely participate in union activities on U.S. campuses! Some things to know:
- It is legal to join a union and participate in union activities in the U.S. on your foreign student visa. International students have the same legal rights to join labor unions as U.S. citizens, no matter what their visa status, and these rights are protected by federal law.
- Changes to labor law do not affect changes in immigration law. Organizing or joining a union does not affect an international student’s visa status. There are thousands of international students in unions across the country — e.g. UC Berkeley, NYU, Univ. of Michigan, and many more.
- Your union membership does not change your tax status or any tax-treaty benefits you could claim.
A collective bargaining agreement can include specific benefits for international workers and non-citizens, for example an international worker assistance fund to support workers who need to travel home for emergencies related to health or family or having the employer cover the $495 fee for undocumented workers to renew their DACA.
We know that students on a F-1 visa can work only up to 20 hours a week, and we will fight for the contract we negotiate to have no impact on the ability of international students to meet their visa rules. We will reject any contract that includes hour tracking or other employer mechanisms which could possibly complicate things for international workers. Fortunately, both employer and workers agree that it is essential that international tutors/proctors/aides are protected. Any agreement will have to be agreed upon by the workers before it’s implemented!
Organizing to form a union does not let the university change our status. In fact, by forming a union the university would be prohibited from making changes to any of our working conditions without bargaining with us first.
Yes. Residential advisors at Tufts recently unionized and ratified a contract with the university to earn a stipend for the first time in the university’s history. Administering the houses and yards through different offices and staff does not change our ability to organize and work together as one unit. Our roles as residential advisors compensated with housing and food are unionized at BU, Tufts, Columbia, etc.
See the helpful flyer from the National Labor Relations Board below. In short, the process is:
- We coworkers sign union authorization cards confidentially stating they would like to affiliate with the Harvard Union of Residential Advisors.
- When we have reached a threshold of signatures, we can ask Harvard to recognize our union
- If they choose not to recognize our union, we could file a petition for a union election with the NLRB and, if we win the secret ballot election, form the union anyway.
A coalition of tutors, proctors, house aides, and representatives from HGSU-UAW are working together to discuss the pros and cons of unionizing. More voices are always welcome in these conversations!
Inspired by the energy of other workers on campus organizing, and from the growing momentum around labor unions nationwide, we want tutors and proctors to have a seat at the bargaining table. Right now, we have access to local organizers who have been through the unionization process at Harvard. We are hoping to learn from recent organizing efforts to advocate for role standardization and better compensation in our own positions on campus.
Recent tragic events have reinforced the precarity of our working conditions, which also relates to precarity of our housing and food. We need a union, progressive discipline, clarity on discharge procedures, protections from retaliation, etc.
All levels of involvement are welcome! We’re eager to have tutors and proctors join the conversation and shape this organizing effort as it develops. You’re welcome to attend meetings, build connections with and learn from other local organizers, and take a direct role in forming this movement. We’re also thrilled if your participation looks more like spreading the word or speaking to us about your work experiences.
Before a contract is bargained, the University must maintain the status quo. If you do not pay taxes on your benefits or housing now, then you will not be forced to pay taxes unless agreed upon otherwise in a union contract. For example, new provisions like a stipend would be compensation and likely subject to taxation. However, no contract will be agreed upon without a vote of HURA members. It’s highly unlikely that hundreds of people would be willing to accept an agreement which leads to worse benefits or working conditions.
