Science

Harvard dining hall workers strike for better pay, health care

Harvard maintains the $7 billion, like the rest of the university's endowment, is earmarked for other purposes, and can not simply be drawn on to increase workers' pay.

Some Harvard dining halls remain open and the university says it has a contingency plan to make sure that all students are fed. Picketers chanted and marched with the hopes of securing sustainable annual income and affordable health coverage.

The dispute could easily be seen as a showdown between the 1 percent and low-paid service workers: Harvard's $35.7 billion endowment is bigger than the economies of almost 100 countries, while the striking union members are among millions of Americans struggling in a era of growing income inequality.

"It's a $40 billion institution", Kramer said.

The University has brought forth several health care proposals have been raised by the University over the course of the past four months; Local 26 has rejected all of them. In addition, the union has asked Harvard not to raise out-of-pocket health care costs. Employees that were raised locally are now facing longer commutes.

Six hundred workers didn't report to work and it's the first time this has happened inside the campus during the academic year, in over 380 years of its history, according to Brian Lang, president of the union representing cooks and waiters. "It doesn't make sense", he said.

Kitchen staff from Harvard University began a strike Wednesday to demand higher wages, lower healthcare cost and year-round employment, leaving thousands of students and faculty members without food in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "The workers are under attack". Negotiators say bargaining will continue during the strike.

stayontheblack.com

Harvard dining hall workers strike for better pay, health care