UC Workers United

9 hours ago

UCSF CWA UPTE Member Defends UCSF Professor Dr. Rupa Marya Fired By UC Bosses For Opposing Genocide
youtu.be/i1bGCegVvts
UCSF CWA UPTE member Lisa Milos who is also a member of UPTE members for Palestine spoke out at a press
conference at UCSF Parnassus campus to defend UCSF professor and Dr. Rupa Marya. Marya was suspended and
fired by the UCSF managers with the support of San Francisco Democrat and Zionist Scott Weiner for opposing the
genocide in Gaza.
Governor Gaven Newsom, the UC Regents and management have organized a massive assault on the democratic
rights of students faculty and staff for opposing the US supported Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Marya is the first UC doctor fired for opposing the genocide and the role of the Zionist Diller Foundation which has
funded the Carary project and helped support the IDF in it's genocidal policies.
The UPTE Members For Palestine have organized to oppose UC investments in companies making profits from
genocide and also for CWA UPTE to break relationship with the Israeli corporate union Histadrut which the AFL-CIO
and CWA support.
The AFL-CIO and CWA leadership have been silent about the genocide and the bombing of hospitals and the murder
of over 200 Palestinian journalists who have been targeted by the IDF.
Additional Media:
UCSF Dr. Rupa Marya Fired For Opposing Genocide In Palestine By UC Bosses
youtu.be/Yr1DDEphSQE
Doctor Said Israel Is Causing Health Crises in Gaza. UCSF Fired Her.
theintercept.com/2025/06/05/gaza-israel-san-francisco-ucsf-doctor-professor/
At UCB, The Encampment And A Free Palestine With UCSF Dr. Marya Rupa & Student
youtu.be/VdArkdRwovY
SFGH UCSF Healthcare Workers Protest Israeli US Genocide In Gaza Against Palestinians
youtu.be/_N1J9Kq3Aqw
The UC UPTE AFSCME Strike & Palestine: Connecting The War On UC Workers With The Genocide In Gaza
youtu.be/BR2kD-rBzl8
UC UPTE & AFSCME 3299 Workers Strike At UC Mission Bay & Want Living Wages & An End To Union Busting
youtu.be/WaYOuTX1Os8
UCSF AFSCME 3299 & UPTE Workers Strike For Living Wages & Workers Also Speak Out On Palestine & UC
youtu.be/RGrFpEfjB5A
Striking UPTE UCSF Optometrists Speak Out For Patients & Justice
youtu.be/SAIkZLcegkM
UCSF UPTE Optometrists Strike & Rally With AFSCME 3299 State Bargaining Team At UC Mission Bay
youtu.be/QFjrq3KLmpw
UCSF Doctor & SEIU 1021/CWA UPTE Workers Speak Out On Palestine At SF General Hospital
youtu.be/GNCfpDus_5g
If We Don't Get It, Shut It Down! AFSCME 3299 Strikes UCSF Mission Bay With Support of CWA UPTE
youtu.be/wQdMed5ZxzI
Production of Labor Video Project
www.labormedia.net … See MoreSee Less

Labor Media – Labor Media

www.labormedia.net

www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mit-disciplines-student-commencement-speaker-who-condemned-school-s-……

UC Workers United

3 days ago

The Creation and Destruction of California’s System of Higher Education

www.laprogressive.com/education-reform/californias-system-of-higher-education

California’s three-tiered system of higher education focused on educating our best and brightest. Now its focus is profits and tax write offs for investors and donors.
MICHAEL POWELSONMAY 28, 2025
California’s system of higher education consists of:

116 community colleges
23 California State University campuses
10 University of California campuses
Today, they are financially in the red, forced to cut classes and lay off faculty and staff. In 1960, the state’s “Master Plan,” driven by Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, called for free education for all Californians. But beginning in the 1970s, student loan debt, tuition and “student activity fees” were gradually instituted and increase annually.

The “Master Plan,” created a system of freehigher education, but with the rise of neo-liberalism and the breakup of the Soviet Union, California’s system of higher education shifted to a neo-liberal model focused on tax shelters, bloated salaries for administrators, and profit generation. As a result, tuitions were routinely increased, and free higher education has given way to tuition increases, tax write-offs, and the sale of tax-free bonds.

Beginning with the 1990-1991 Recession, decline in state revenues resulted in cuts to the state’s system of higher education. While the state’s economy quickly recovered, revenues to higher education did not, and the state’s contribution to higher education continued to decline.

Higher Education Politics
Higher Education Politics
Read More
Revenue cuts justified increases in tuition, fees, and even parking. In 1996, for example, five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the state’s contribution to higher education, once at 100%, declined to only 10% of the total cost.

Given that California is the wealthiest state in the wealthiest nation in the world, how could a budget crisis even exist?

By 2025, the State’s Domestic Product of $4.1 trillion surpassed Japan’s Gross Domestic Product of $4 trillion, making California the fourth largest economy in the world. In addition, California’s per-capita income (Gross Domestic Product/population) is higher than the US, China, Germany, and Japan!

California’s economy is far wealthier today than in 1970, when, for example, the state’s Gross State Product (GSP) was $112 million. Adjusted for inflation California’s SDP would be $935 million in current dollars. Today, the state’s SDP is now over $4 trillion!

Yet, the CSU system alone reports a $1 billion short fall, which justifies increases in tuition, student activity fees, parking as well as the low salaries for faculty and staff. The same logic does not apply to administrators, however, where campus presidents earn $400,000 to $500,000 annually. At the top is the CSU chancellor, who earns $891,000 in salary and housing subsidy. By comparison, few faculty in the CSU system, including tenured faculty with 20 years of service, earn even $100,000 a year.

CSU’s chancellor appoints the Board of Trustees, most of whom have extensive corporate experience. Trustee Jack McGrory, for example, is the CEO of La Jolla MJ Management, LLC, a real estate investment company, while trustee Leslie Gilbert-Lurie is a former NBC Television executive who worked for the law firm Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg and Tunney. A review of the remaining Board members reveals similar resumes.

Administrators of California’s three-tiered system are committed to a neo-liberal approach known as “New Public Management,” which seeks to operate public entities as private corporations. New Public Management’s guiding principles include:

strict financial control by administrators
greater power for senior management
increase role for non-public entities
curbing and/or eliminating unions
shifting power from the academicians to management
encouraging entrepreneurship
building a corporate structure
First initiated in the 1980s, the principals of New Public Management have resulted in increases in tuition, student activity and parking fees, cuts in salaries and benefits, and the implementation of tax write-offs through bond sales and donations, as well as increases in administrative salaries. The results of New Public Management are reflected in the charts below:

Screenshot 2025-05-27 at 10.18.43 AM
The UC system first began to charge tuition in 1970, while by 1981 tuition was charged within the CSU and community college systems. Since then, tuition and fees have increased regularly, effectively ending the goal of the state’s Master Plan to provide free education. At CSU Channel Islands, for example, tuition and fees for the Fall, 2024 semester include:

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In addition, students are charged $195 per semester for parking, while faculty and staff employed by the CSU are charged $98.45. Student housing begins at $1,339 a month, while campus prices are well-above those found at the local 7-11. In addition, at the CSUCI campus vending machines charge an additional ten cents for using a debit or credit card.

Screenshot 2025-05-27 at 8.52.06 PM
Thus, while faculty and staff salaries and benefits have failed to keep up with inflation, charges to the students have sky-rocketed.

As state revenue for higher education declined, private money from bond sales, corporate and individual donations, and increases in tuition and fees made up the shortfall. At the same time, administrators fight any pay increases for faculty and staff, who, following New Public Management, are regarded as employees just as the Ford Motor Company considers its assembly line workers employees.

Thus, while faculty and staff salaries and benefits have failed to keep up with inflation, charges to the students have sky-rocketed.

By increasing revenue through tuition and fee increases and bond sales while minimizing salaries for faculty and staff, the CSU management acts like any private employer and service provider. Since CSU’s student body in in fact a captive consumer, there is every incentive to raise education costs.

Bond sales fund construction projects, which, while impressive to the visiting parent or tourist, do nothing to improve the salaries of its workforce or the learning environment of the students. Among state leaders, there is a consensus that higher education will continue to increase tuition, parking, and fees, while administrators will fight to reduce salaries and benefits. In sum, New Public Management will continue—regardless of its negative impact on California’s system of higher education.

The union for the CSU, the California Faculty Association, has played a crucial role in salary and benefit reductions for faculty and staff. During contract negotiations, for example, the CFA typically agrees to salary increases that do not keep up with inflation—which means the purchasing power of faculty and staff is eroded with each new contract.

The collective bargaining agreement for 2014-2021, for example, allowed for an annual 1.6% general salary increase, or 8% over the life of the contract. But inflation during those years was 19%, so the contract agreed to by the CFA negotiating team resulted in a decrease in faculty salaries of around 11% over the life of the contract.

Similarly, for the 2022-2025 collective bargaining agreement, the general salary increase was 5%, while inflation over that time was 7%. Again, the CFA bargaining team agreed to a salary increase that did not keep up with inflation.

With a docile union like the CFA, there is no reason for the CSU to change its tactic of aggressive contract negotiations to keep salary increases below the inflation rate while reducing benefits.

Before 2024 the CFA had never gone on strike. By the Winter of 2024, however, angry union members demanded the CFA call a strike, the first in its history. The strike showed remarkable solidarity and all 23 campuses were shut down. In less than 24 hours, however, the CFA bargaining team closed down the strike.

While the strike illustrated overwhelming solidarity within the union, the CFA failed to utilize its remarkably strong hand: the 23 campuses in the CSU system cannot be moved to China, and the 25,000 CFA members, all highly skilled, could not be replaced. Instead, the CFA carried through their previous commitment to end the strike if the CSU agreed to the strikers’ demands.

Months after this successful strike, CSU management instituted massive cutbacks in classes and hiring. Faculty and staff have been dismissed or forced into retirement while class availability (which determines how quickly a student can graduate) continues to fall. With the CFA’s failure to take advantage of its very strong position, union leaders have, once again, grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.

In conclusion, from Sputnik to the collapse of the Soviet Union, California’s three-tiered system of higher education, the “Master Plan,” focused on educating California’s best and brightest. Today, however, California’s three-tiered system of higher education is focused on generating profits and tax write offs for investors and donors, pork barrel construction projects for contractors, and bloated salaries for administrators.

Guided by the principals of New Public Management, the state’s system of higher education has failed in its charge to educate California’s college-age students free of debt. At the same time, however, California’s system of higher education has seen great success in enriching the wealthiest in the state and the country.

The opinions expressed here are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the LA Progressive.

HIGHER EDUCATIONTEACHEREDUCATIONFASCISMAUTHORITARIANISM
Michael Powelson
BY MICHAEL POWELSON
Michael Powelson is an adjunct professor of history at California State University-Channel Islands. His most recent book is Swindlers All: A Brief History of Government/Business Frauds from Alexander Hamilton to AIG. … See MoreSee Less

The Creation and Destruction of California’s System of Higher Education

www.laprogressive.com

California’s three-tiered system of higher education focused on educating our best and brightest. Now its focus is profits and tax write offs for investors and donors.

UC Workers United

4 days ago

‘The public deserves to know’: UCSF employees are fighting back after facility bars them from using on-site parking — why they say it puts both their safety and
moneywise.com/news/top-stories/ucsf-employees-are-fighting-back-after-facility-bars-them-from-usi…

Sarah Sharkey
Updated Jun 2, 2025

When Jane Glover, a sonographer at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), received an email on March 31 announcing that employees could no longer park in the staff garage beginning in June, she thought it was an April Fool’s Joke.

But the announcement from San Francisco’s largest employer, UCSF, was no laughing matter.

The health care organization is rolling out parking changes for employees at its Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses. Employees at these locations will now have to park somewhere else, leaving many in a lurch.

The organization offered up some off-site parking possibilities. But employees facing an already-long commute and mounting safety concerns remain outraged.

“I just think that the public deserves to know what's happening with this,” Glover said.

New employee parking rules at UCSF

UCSF announced the new parking rules to employees via email, essentially eliminating on-campus parking for employees. Instead, employees must park off-site and take a shuttle bus to the hospital for the last leg of their commute.

“UCSF is implementing changes to staff parking to make more space available for patients and visitors, so they can get to appointments on time and receive the care they need,” a UCSF spokesperson said in a statement to ABC 7 News.

While the organization is making the changes with patients in mind, the impacted employees are incensed.

For starters, the new rules mean longer commutes for some.

"My hour drive would essentially be an hour and a half drive to go from Petaluma, California to San Francisco," said nurse Andrew Kovalcheck.

Additionally, many have safety concerns about getting to their vehicles after work.

"The lot in Japantown, people have these huge safety concerns regarding leaving their car parked there, and even walking to and from the garage," said nurse Holly Bannister.

With mounting concerns, the California Nurses Association started a petition. A few of the cited issues include undue hardships for families with pre-scheduled child care, no safety guidelines for night shift workers, and no guidelines for on-call workers.

As a solution, UCSF “is offering new offsite parking at $99 per month — less than half the cost of on-campus rates — at three locations with a 5- to 15-minute free shuttle ride to campus,” according to a statement.

Additionally, the organization is partnering with an Uber shuttle bus system to help employees get to Mission Bay. For many, these options aren’t adequate. But, as of writing, UCSF seems to have no plans to make additional concessions.The parking changes aren’t simply an inconvenience. These changes can add up to a significant financial hit, especially for lower-wage and frontline employees.

While it’s not fully clear what staff are paying for parking presently and if any employees are benefitting from free parking, the new parking rate, when combined with longer commute time, may still impact employees financially.

If any staff are not paying for parking now, then an additional $99 per month for off-site parking would more severely impact workers earning less, as it’s a bigger slice of their income.

For example, for those earning $45,000–$60,000 per year, a $99 per month parking expense is a far more significant share of income than it would be for someone earning $300,000 annually.

For some, the commuter shuttle systems around the area could represent a more affordable option. But the catch is that it will likely take longer to get to work — and for some this may mean additional logistics and childcare costs. Additionally, spending more time getting to work effectively lowers your hourly wage.

For example, let’s say you currently spend one hour getting to and from work each day. If you add in a 30-minute shuttle ride both ways, your daily commuting time jumps to two hours. Unless you receive a raise, you’ll spend more time on work-related activities and receive less compensation per hour.

In order to limit the impact of this change on your budget, look for any pre-tax commuter benefitsoffered by your employer. Some companies allow you to use some pre-tax money to cover certain parking and transit costs.

UCSF does offer this perk, but you’ll likely need to do some paperwork to sign up. If this applies to you, get in touch with your Human Resources department to get started.

Carpooling to work with coworkers can also help cut back on costs and increase safety. In addition to gas, you can split the parking expenses with your carpool.

Notably, UCSF didn’t include any information about parking for night shift workers. If parking remains available after visiting hours, switching shifts may be the only way to address parking problems (though, understandably, this may be difficult to do depending on how many others are pursuing the same changes and on each individual’s availability).

For some, avoiding peak hours when parking may be most expensive and hardest to come by is another approach.

As you navigate these changes, consider tracking your commuting costs with a budgeting app. With a clear picture of what you are spending, you can decide what cuts or changes make sense for your unique situation, and whether you may need to explore employment opportunities elsewhere.

Sarah Sharkey
Freelance Contributor
Sarah Sharkey is a personal finance writer who enjoys diving into the details to help readers make savvy financial decisions. She covers mortgages, insurance, money management, and more. She lives in Florida with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing, she's outside exploring the coast. … See MoreSee Less

‘The public deserves to know’: UCSF employees are fighting back after facility bars them from using on-site parking — why they say it puts both their safety and financial security at risk

moneywise.com

The move from San Francisco’s second-largest employer stuns frontline workers.

UC Workers United

1 week ago

UK University and college workers call for strikes to defend education
socialistworker.co.uk/trade-unions/ucu-members-vote-for-national-ballot-on-strike-action/
Workers called for national action at the UCU union conference over the weekend
Dundee university workers struck against redundancies
University workers are gearing up for a fight with the Labour government.
Delegates at the UCU union’s conference in Liverpool on Sunday overwhelmingly voted to “prepare for an industrial dispute” with the government over funding.
The UCU announced on Monday that it was “the first step towards a potential strike ballot”.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said, “The prime minister and chancellor must stop standing in the way of proper funding for our universities.
“This vote sends them a crystal-clear message. If you refuse to listen to the educators responsible for the world leading reputation of Britain’s universities, then you must be prepared to face a potential strike ballot.”

The conference came as universities across Britain face a funding crisis—and an avalanche of job cuts. And more branches, including Edinburgh and Bournemouth universities, have won ballots for strikes.
The supporters of the demand for a trade dispute argued that the union needs to address the broken higher education funding model.
Richard Wild from Greenwich in south London told Socialist Worker that activists should respond positively to the idea of a trade dispute.
But many UCU members say this political campaign needs to be backed by coordinated strikes.
Workers at the University of Brighton were on strike against redundancies in 2023. Ryan Burns from Brighton UCU told Socialist Worker, “Last year we failed to take nationwide action and in 12 months we have seen massive attacks.
“These things are connected. When bosses see that we are industrially weak, they attack us branch by branch.
“We didn’t save all of the jobs. It was gutting and awful. But the vice chancellor left—it showed that management couldn’t stomach a fight.”
Ryan added, “Half of higher education institutions are facing job cuts and they are lowballing us on pay.
“The attack is so undeniable it’s alerting people to the necessity of nationwide action.”
At Newcastle University, over 200 people joined the picket line last week. Matt Perry from Newcastle UCU explained that bringing speakers from Brighton to branch meetings had inspired his own branch.

Hundreds rally on first day of Newcastle university strikes
Read More

He said, “We are trying to spread the resistance. But it can’t just be done at the grassroots level. It has to be nationwide action.”
Saira Weiner chairs the union’s recruitment, organising and campaigning committee. She said, “I am being told by colleagues from various branches that they do not feel able to fight alone. And they do feel alone.
“You have some amazing examples of people who have stood up and fought and have won.
“Look at what they have won at Dundee. As soon as they were told there was a likelihood of redundancies they balloted.
“They were told there was no hope. But there was a Scottish parliament bailout and jobs were saved.
“When you take action you can win. But this government isn’t going to turn round and find a new funding model on its own. We need it now. But it is very clear we are going to fight for it.”
Ana from the University of Bedfordshire told Socialist Worker that branches are crying out for more support from the union to help them coordinate a fightback.
She told Socialist Worker, “cross branch communications are terribly useful – and we don’t have enough of that.”
Andreas from Leicester University told Socialist Worker that bosses there have refused to rule out redundancies. He said his “branch feels isolated” by the union leaving individual branches to fight the tidal wave of redundancies.
But workers at Leicester are nevertheless determined to fight. A recent emergency general meeting was unanimously in favour of pushing for industrial action. “There is no other way,” he said.
Grassroots union members will have to organise for the hard-hitting, national action necessary to push back the assaults.
College workers vote for strike ballot
Further education workers across England could strike together early in the autumn.
The UCU further education conference on Sunday voted for an England-wide coordinated ballot for industrial action for over pay. It also vowed to campaign against vicious cuts that would carve working class people out of education.
Some delegates were cautious about striking nationwide. One speaker said that balloting unsuccessfully for strikes had undermined their union branch’s ability to negotiate with management. Another argued that they supported strikes, but that September is too soon.
But college lecturer Richard McEwan disagreed and made the case for a campaign that takes on the government. He said, “We haven’t had a national strike in England for a decade or more. The time has come to escalate. If you try to fight in your own local college it is not enough to shift the scale of what is facing us.
“There is huge disappointment about the nature of this Labour government. We know tougher stuff is coming down the road. We need a culture that says we are all in this together.”
The motion for a disaggregated ballot passed by a majority of 71 for and 18 against. This means workers will vote on an employer by employer basis.
It was amended to strongly encourage branches to take part rather than exempting themselves.
Cecily from Petroc College in Devon told Socialist Worker that she was very glad that the conference had agreed “to urge all colleges to opt in to the strike ballot”.
There is an ongoing consultative ballot until 10 June to lay the ground for this.
The UCU is demanding a 10 percent pay rise for further education lecturers, equal pay with school teachers, national bargaining and nationally agreed workloads.
Regi Pilling told Socialist Worker that 50 percent of further education teachers leave their jobs within three years of starting. There will be more students and fewer and fewer teachers.
She said, “teachers are leaving in their droves. Yet the government is failing to address the crisis. Without demonstrating our collective strength we will be unable to push them—and we can push them.”
The Labour government has offered £160 million of funding for colleges. It is not enough. But it shows that Keir Starmer is shifting his position.
Delegate Safia Flissi argued for a campaign for the same pay increase as school teachers. She said, “I have over years watched colleagues in schools be paid better than us. Why is this?” She explained that the NEU union had led strikes that resulted in a 5.5 percent pay rise for teachers in England.
Delmina from Croydon College in south London told Socialist Worker that further education lecturers feel “left behind” compared to school teachers.
She said, “it is not just about funding. It is about working conditions and high workloads. People say it is a vocation. Yes it’s a vocation. But we have families and we have to eat and pay our bills. There needs to be action—it’s about time”
Pete Bicknell from Lewisham College in south London said it was “heartbreaking” to see cuts that could mean 400 students not getting a place there this year.
The conference showed the level of support for long overdue national strikes in further and adult education. Workers need to turn this into reality with a strong vote in the consultation and a national ballot that every branch fights for. … See MoreSee Less

University and college workers call for strikes to defend education

socialistworker.co.uk

Further education workers across England could strike together early in the autumn to demand that they receive decent pay.

UC Workers United

1 week ago

Fascist Attack On All Graduate Students & Universities
UAW Harvard Graduate Students Union Press Release
drive.google.com/file/d/1VbbwtSQIIBEs9UE4BgVJRwyG6cbBHbKY/view
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 May 2025
Harvard UAW Unions Condemn Trump Administration Attacks on Workers, Demand
Harvard Provide Further Support
Cambridge, MA – The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118), the Harvard Academic Workers Union (HAW-UAW) Organizing Committee, the Harvard Undergraduate
Workers Union (HUWU-UAW), and the Fabrication Workers United (FWU-UAW), condemn in the strongest possible terms the Trump administration’s latest attack against Harvard
University, its students, and its workers. This attack not only impacts Harvard’s international students, but its academic workers on every level. Moreover, it is one of the single largest
concentrated deportation threats against a unionized workforce in our nation’s history, impacting nearly 4,000 workers.
The Trump Administration's move to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification is unlawful, as demonstrated by the Temporary Restraining Order awarded by a federal judge to Harvard
today. This administration has continuously threatened the safety and livelihoods of our non-citizen workers, including undergraduate and graduate students, teaching faculty, and
postdoctoral researchers. International students and workers come to this country to pursue ground-breaking research, perform essential teaching labor, and sustain the cultural and
academic life of universities. Our international colleagues train future scientists and thinkers, develop critical research tools and methods, and tackle pressing problems across every
field—from finding cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s, creating wearable robotics to aid mobility, analyzing global crises like climate change, to cultivating critical and creative thought via
research in history, philosophy, and the arts. Our workers not only do this work now, but are the next generation of researchers and teachers that will address world problems yet to come.
“I have spent the last four years studying historical mortality in the United States to understand how we can build a healthier, more equal society, and spent countless hours teaching about
how we can use statistics to understand the societies we live in. I’ve made lifelong friends in the process. It’s devastating to hear that I could be forced to stop this work before finishing my
PhD. But it is unsurprising that the Trump administration wants to stop this type of work and instead focus on getting his billionaire friends tax cuts,” said Sudipta Saha, a 4th year PhD
student in Population Health Sciences.
"I have been a non-citizen researcher in the United States for almost 12 years. My research here has not only contributed to our understanding of the brain but also generated potential
therapeutics for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. As I’ve worked in the laboratory day and night, I hold onto the reassurance that my research, and other research like
it, would be elevated by accepting many diverse perspectives of non-citizen workers from across the globe. Now, DHS tells us that this is not true.
With these attacks on universities, tax cuts for the rich and silencing free speech against war, genocide and inequality; science, not the commercialized academic commodity, but the
method to seek truth, will suffer greatly as the people committed to it are affected. More than half of postdoctoral researchers are non-citizen workers at Harvard; they bring so much to
research and teaching. If we are kicked out, universities will never be the same, and indeed neither will the country that houses them,” said Ozan Baytaş, a postdoctoral researcher at
Harvard Medical School.
There are thousands of international scholars in Harvard’s research and teaching workforce. They depend on their jobs to pay rent, buy food, and support children and families. They want
what every immigrant to this country wants: the ability to live a dignified life through hard work and dedication. The federal government, in its illegal attempts to stifle First Amendment
speech, has put at risk the livelihoods of these workers and the welfare of the entire university community.
“The irreparable harm done to our scientific community is staggering. It is heartbreaking to see the effects on my colleagues and friends, my mentors and students. We feel powerless. Ever since the incarceration of Kseniia Petrova, a brilliant scholar of cutting-edge microscopy, who
works just one building away from mine, we have been in a state of permanent fear,” said
Hannah Grunwald, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, adding, “My international labmates work tirelessly on projects that range from uncovering treatments for
osteoarthritis to understanding whether or not a specific mutation will lead to cancer. The loss of their research will be permanent and hugely damaging to everyone who loves someone who has suffered from disease. My non-citizen colleagues came here because they wanted to be part of our community, wanted to help build American science. They are brilliant scientists, generous colleagues, dear friends. They have homes and families and children who grew up here. Their treatment at the hands of my home government is simply cruel.
”
“As an international student worker, I have watched myself and my international friends work intensely long hours researching and giving back to the academic community at Harvard. It is
heartbreaking that all our efforts may have been futile and we may end this school year going home for good. This school is the only place many of us can afford to attend outside of our
home countries due to its generous international financial aid policy, making this declaration even worse as many of us would have to go back home, far away from the communities we
have found here in the United States, leaving us isolated,
” added an anonymous undergraduate worker part of HUWU. Harvard is one of the few schools across the nation that offers the same financial aid policy for domestic and international undergraduate students.
This attack is just one front in the broader assault on worker rights and higher education across the country.
“The Trump’s administration’s threat to international scholars is a huge attack on thousands of UAW represented workers on Harvard’s campus. We are seeing escalations against immigrant
workers across the country and this is no different,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon
Mancilla.
“The labor movement must see these attacks as what they are – an attempt to divide workers and create false enemies in a time of rampant corporate greed.”
“This attack on Harvard is a test case for higher education more generally. If the administration can succeed here, they will come after students at other colleges and universities. We must
fight back at Harvard and everywhere else. Higher ed labor, from staff and faculty to student workers and researchers across the country, stand with international students everywhere,
” said
Evan Bowman, Higher Education Labor United (HELU) Vice Chair, IT Chair at AFSCME 328 at Oregon Health & Science University
Our unions will fight for our members' ability to teach, study, and research safely in this country and this institution. We commend Harvard University for already seeking judicial intervention to
halt the most immediate impacts of this policy change, and ask that the University leadership continue to support international workers through the following steps:
●
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Exercise all legal rights to protect student records, enrollment status, disciplinary records, employment records, or personal information of any Harvard affiliates from immigration authorities or other federal agencies. Refuse to comply with or
institute surveillance practices of Harvard affiliates, including those participating in political speech and protests on campus.
Commit to maintaining all student’s enrollment or worker status if their SEVIS or Visa status changes; in the event of SEVIS or Visa terminations, commit to reinstating those statuses as quickly as possible.
Create consistent remote schooling and work options for students and workers that may need to complete their schooling or appointments outside of the United States.
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Issue immediate notifications to all students, faculty, and staff if Harvard University representatives receive a request from immigration officials to access records or campus buildings.
Create an emergency fund and provide comprehensive pro bono legal services that are accessible for all non-citizen Harvard affiliates Commit to securing workers’ visa status where possible to visas that do not go
through SEVP.
Commit to helping any institution of higher education accept the co-enrollment and transfer of our international student workers and to defray the costs of such actions, including a commitment to help maintain all levels of scholarship, financial aid,
and other financial support currently available to our affected students.
Clarify the University’s definition of non-public spaces (e.g., through a map accessible to affiliates), where non-citizen affiliates can be safe from warrantless ICE presence.
Affirm that no Harvard affiliates, including non-citizens, will be punished for the content of their speech, particularly on the basis of political dissent and solidarity with Palestine.
We echo our faculty in the AAUP who write: “The Trump administration is unlawfully seeking to destroy higher education in the United States. It now demands that we sacrifice our
international students in the process. Universities cannot acquiesce to such extortion.
”
Finally, we add—no matter what, HGSU, HUWU, HAW, and FWU will be here to defend our workers, our labor, and our institutions of higher education today, tomorrow, and whenever
they are under attack.
About Our Unions
The Harvard Graduate Students Union – United Auto Workers (HGSU-UAW) represents
over 5,500 student workers across Harvard University’s 13 schools, fighting for fair working conditions, equity, and respect for all.
The Harvard Academic Workers Union – United Auto Workers (HAW-UAW) represents around 3,000 non-tenure track academic workers in teaching and research at Harvard, including
postdoctoral fellows, lecturers, preceptors, and staff scientists.
The Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union – United Auto Workers (HUWU-UAW) represents 500 undergraduate and graduate student workers across campus libraries, cafés, and EDI
offices.
The Fabrication Workers United – United Auto Workers (FWU-UAW) represents approximately 90 student workers in the Fabrication Lab of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, fighting for equity, respect and good working conditions in design.
Media Contacts
Sara VS, Harvard Graduate Students Union | iswg@hgsu.org, hgsu.general@gmail.com
Kelsey Tyssowski, Harvard Academic Workers Union | harvardacademicworkers@gmail.com
Bea Wall-Feng, Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union | bwallfeng@protonmail.com
Miya Kutchins, Fabrication Workers United | fabricationworkersunited@gmail.com … See MoreSee Less

Statement on Harvard SEVP Revocation.pdf

drive.google.com