Noncitizen Worker Protections
Our non-citizen workers are under constant threat from the current federal administration, and Harvard has become a public target. The University runs on the labor of international and non-citizen workers, and Harvard has publicly declared that its administration will fight for its non-citizen students and workers, and they have the financial resources to do so. It’s time to put that commitment in writing.
We demand immigration justice in the workplace.
Here’s what we’re organizing to win.
10 Days of Paid Immigration Leave — Every Year + Remote Work Options
Student workers shouldn’t have to choose between getting their visa renewed and getting paid. We demand 10 paid business days for immigration, visa, or consular appointments for non-citizen workers and our families.
If you’re stuck abroad due to visa processing delays or other issues, you shouldn’t lose your job. We demand the right to remote work options—because we are still qualified to do our jobs, wherever we are.
Protection from Criminalization and Deportation
If a student worker is arrested, detained, or even deported, they should NOT lose their job. We are fighting for up to 120 days of paid leave for student workers facing legal or immigration crises.
We need to ensure these students won’t be thrown away by the University!
No Retaliation, No Coercion
We demand that there be no more forcing of non-citizen workers to accept certain job lengths, and to put an end to threatening people’s immigration or work status to control their labor.
We’re demanding enforceable protections against coercion that student workers can use without threats of retaliation.
No Collusion
We are asking that Harvard not require proof of citizenship or immigration status unless required by law. We are also demanding clarification of public versus non-public spaces at Harvard, so that workers and our community can make informed choices for our safety.
No cooperation with ICE: and if ICE enters campus? Harvard must tell the Union and only comply if ICE brings a judicial warrant.
More Legal and Financial Support
We believe that emergency immigration legal expenses should be fully covered by Harvard.
We are proposing that the Non-Citizen Worker Assistance Fund must increase 7.5x—from $30K to $225K a year, especially given the sharp increase of demand in recent years.
That amount is the floor, not the ceiling.
Accessible and Translated Contracts for All!
More of our workers deserve to understand our rights and how to fight for them.
That’s why we’re demanding full translations of our union contract into two of our most widely spoken languages on campus: Simplified Chinese and Spanish.
