The Harvard Graduate Students Union–UAW began the strike on April 21 after contract talks with the university failed to resolve disputes over issues including higher wages and union membership requirements.

The union represents about 3,900 graduate students in nearly 4,900 positions at Harvard, including teaching assistants, course assistants, research assistants and instructors. It is demanding base pay of US$55,000 for all workers and mandatory union fees for eligible student employees, Bloomberg reported.

Teaching fellows currently earn US$26,300, while research assistants receive US$40,830. The union is also seeking hourly pay of US$25 and annual raises that either match inflation or reach 5%, whichever is higher.

Not being able to pay for those necessities "is quite frustrating", Rochelle Sun, a PhD candidate studying political science, told Nature magazine. "They’re quite basic needs."

Harvard graduate student workers join a strike for better pay and benefits. Photo courtesy of the Harvard Graduate Students Union

Teaching fellows earn about US$26,300 over 10 months for 20 hours of work per week, while research assistants are paid US$40,830. PhD students on research salaries receive a US$50,000 stipend. By comparison, student workers at MIT and Stanford earn up to US$60,293 and US$58,460.

"The richest university in the world should not have its workers in this incredibly precarious situation," union president Sara Speller said. "A strike was our last resort."

Harvard says graduate student workers are already well compensated. About 60% of union members are PhD students who receive living-expense support, tuition grants, fully subsidized health insurance and other benefits worth at least US$425,000 over at least five years.

The university has proposed a 10% increase in salaried appointment rates over four years, while emphasizing that PhD student workers also receive support for tuition, health insurance and living costs.

The strike follows stalled contract negotiations that began in March 2025. Union leaders have held 23 bargaining sessions with university administrators, reaching agreement only on workspace conditions and leave policies, while 23 other provisions remain unresolved.

Beyond pay, the union is seeking the right to representation in workplace harassment and discrimination cases, an emergency legal support fund, and paid leave for visa-related procedures.

The walkout comes during the final week of the spring semester, shortly before undergraduate exam preparations begin in May. Some classes have been canceled or moved online, though many undergraduates have voiced support for the graduate workers.

It is the union’s third strike since its formation in 2018, following a monthlong walkout in 2019 and a three-day strike in 2021 that led to an agreement with the university weeks later, according to Harvard Magazine.