The agreement reached at Lesley follows eith months of negotiations between the Lesley workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 26, and Bon Appetit, the food service company that employs the workers and operates the dining halls on the university’s campus. It also comes on the heels of similar agreements reached across Boston area campuses where Local 26 members work. Workers at Simmons College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences all reached similar agreements earlier this fall.

Union contracts on these campuses will now rise to the standards set by struggles at Harvard University in 2016 and Northeastern University in 2017. On both campuses dining hall workers fought for a minimum annual income of $35,000 a year for full-time workers and affordable health insurance. At colleges like Lesley and Simmons, this will be a dramatic increase, with many workers seeing their hourly wages increase by over 50% during the life of the contract.

Rodamas Moran, a Lesley dining hall worker and Local 26 shop steward, spoke at a Lesley community forum in October and described the struggles of Boston area food service workers to the students and faculty gathered there. “I have two jobs,” Moran told the group. “I start here at 6:00 in the morning and get out at 2:30 and go to my other job until 11 or 11:30. I go home and I sleep maybe 3 hours. Then I get up and do it again.” Moran’s story is not uncommon among workers contending with Boston’s skyrocketing cost of living. The challenges facing Boston’s working class are not disappearing, but the city’s ding hall workers are becoming an example of the best way to confront these challenges – building a fighting labor movement.

#CambridgeMA #PeoplesStruggles #UNITEHERELocal26 #LesleyUniversity #BonAppetit

Cambridge, MA – Forty people, Harvard Law students and Boston anti-war activists, heard Tom Burke speak at Harvard Law School on April 20. Burke, a spokesperson for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the topic of “Building the movement against Trump’s agenda and opposing political repression.”

Burke said, “We need to build our movements at a national level to stop Trump’s attacks. The airport protests opposing the Muslim ban are a good example of how we can win victories. The airport protests, like the one in Chicago, showed the people have a lot power. In NYC when the cab drivers acted in solidarity by not driving fares to JFK airport, it showed how labor can shut things down and make a difference.”

In another example Burke said, “The Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump, MCAT, forced Trump to cancel his visit to the Harley Davidson plant in Menomonee Falls. The Harley workers contacted MCAT leaders and the stage was set for thousands of people to protest Trump’s appearance. Trump was forced to cancel, just like during the primary when 10,000 shut Trump down at the University of Illinois at Chicago.”

In terms of political repression, Burke said, “Trump’s Muslim ban is political. It targets the Middle East countries the U.S. is at war with. The seven countries the U.S. bombs, drone attacks, or sends in Special Forces to kill people, like the 8-year-old girl in Yemen who was an American citizen. No arrest or trial for her.”

He continued, “This is also why Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh is being targeted for deportation. This is why Simon Trinidad, the Colombian revolutionary, is in solitary confinement in the Florence Colorado Supermax prison, a casualty of the Colombian peace process. The Jacksonville Five in Florida were beat up by police for holding an anti-war rally. We are seeing more of this under Trump.”

The lunchtime lecture was hosted by Unbound: Harvard Journal of the Legal Left and the Harvard Chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild.

#CambridgeMA #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Cambridge, MA – Harvard students held an event in honor of Palestinian freedom fighter Rasmea Odeh, Nov. 11. The event, titled “Justice for Rasmea Odeh!” was well attended and featured comments by Suzanne Adely of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG).

The organizers framed the discussion in the context of a history of national oppression of Palestinians and government repression of anti-war organizers. “In many ways, Rasmea's story is the story of the Palestinian people,” said event host Collin Poirot of Harvard NLG and Justice for Palestine.

Adely's presentation situated Rasmea's case in a long history of U.S. government surveillance and repression. Adely brought up the cases of Amer Jubran and Muhammad Salah, who were also targeted by the U.S. government for their leadership in the Palestinian liberation struggle and their opposition to imperialism.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of social movements and activism in support of Rasmea Odeh. “The importance of organizing and building activist support cannot be overstated,” Adely stated.

Organizers have already won significant victories in the campaign for Odeh. Not only have her supporters made Odeh a nationally known figure in the anti-war movement, but they were also able to build pressure and get Odeh out of solitary confinement during the appeal of her case. Significantly, organizers forced Odeh’s first judge to step down from the case.

Odeh's supporters have put out a national call to action for her next court date, Nov. 29, when the judge will decide whether to allow expert therapist Mary Fabri to testify about the effect of Odeh’s torture at the hands of the Israelis. All supporters who are able to attend the hearing are strongly encouraged to do so.

For supporters who cannot make it to the hearing, the Rasmea Defense Committee is asking students and community organizers to hold events and protests raising awareness about Odeh’s case. Please send details about any events you have planned to info@stopfbi.net so that the organizers in Detroit can use it in their advocacy. You can find out more about Odeh’s case and other ways to get involved at www.justice4rasmea.org.

#CambridgeMA #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #Harvard

Cambridge, MA – Harvard University dining hall workers will end their strike tomorrow morning, Oct. 27, and return to work after reaching an agreement with the university that meets all of their demands. Harvard dining hall workers are reviewing and voting to ratify the contract agreement through 5 p.m. today, when this decision will become official.

Harvard dining hall workers went on strike Oct. 5 to win affordable health care and sustainable annual incomes. While the world watched, the lowest-paid workers on campus stood up to the richest university in the world. Through a strike of 22 days, this group of food service workers led a national conversation that ultimately forced one of the most powerful educational institutions to concede.

Students, faculty and alumni supported the strike.

A statement from UNITE HERE Local 26 gave the highlights of the strikes accomplishments, stating it is, “A five-year agreement that meets all our goals:

No health care costs will be shifted onto our members. Our health care plan will not change for two years. In 2019 Harvard will institute co-pay increases but will pay them for our members. Additionally, our premiums will go down.

We achieved a sustainable annual income of $35,000. In recognition of workers’ needs for sustainable income, Harvard is offering additional compensation in three installments during the summer. It will begin at $2400 in 2017 and rise to $3000 in 2020.

Retroactive wage increases on par with other unionized workers on campus of more than 2.5% a year.

Diversity and Equality Committee to address concerns regarding diversity and equal treatment of Harvard dining hall employees.

Benefits for Strikers: Harvard will cover the costs of all deductions for strikers for the duration of the strike; including medical insurance, parking, car and home insurance, and T pass deductions.”

#CambridgeMA #Strikes #HarvardStrike #HUDS

Cambridge, MA – Oct. 24 marks day 20 of the Harvard University Dining Service (HUDS) workers’ strike. The HUDS union, UNITE HERE Local 26, has been negotiating since May of this year with management. Harvard bosses refuse to budge on two key demands: fair healthcare and sustainable salaries for all full-time employees.

Harvard’s students and workers are organizing together to put pressure on Harvard administrators.

“There are two competing visions for the future of the Harvard community; a school that runs like a corporation and puts profit over people, or one that teaches solidarity and is controlled by the working-class people who keep this place running,” said Daniel Espo, a second-year student at Harvard Law School.

Workers sent a loud message earlier in the struggle by focusing on the financial elites who rule over the Harvard Corporation. Local 26 coordinated with union locals across the country to send worker solidarity delegations to the corporate offices of each of the 12 fellows of the Harvard Corporation.

Following this strategy of targeted disruption, students at Harvard organized phone bank events. Students called the Harvard Fellows on their personal and work phone numbers, leaving messages to express their outrage at the poor treatment given the people who prepare and serve their meals. One fellow, William Lee, was visited multiple times at his office in downtown Boston, first by workers and then by students. Students also sent hundreds of signed postcards to Harvard Fellows demanding they give HUDS a decent contract.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, Teamsters, SEIU and other unions joined HUDS workers in a march of over a thousand. The rally marched through rain and heavy wind before gathering on the front steps of the Cambridge City Hall. Vice Mayor Marc McGovern came out and spoke in solidarity.

On Oct. 24, Harvard students escalated their tactics. 400 students walked out of their classrooms and into the streets. The students marched to 124 Mount Auburn Street, where negotiations are held. Hundreds of students packed the building lobby, with the crowd erupting into chants, “When Harvard workers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Harvard negotiators were peeking out of their office windows to get a better look at the crowd. After 15 minutes of chanting, students decided to launch a spontaneous sit-in. The students chose not to leave the building lobby until Harvard negotiators gave the union a new offer. To keep spirits high, students sang songs including Solidarity Forever and We Shall Overcome.

“The only way to make sure the strike succeeds is to continue this kind of direct action that confronts the financial elites at the top of the ladder,” said second-year law student Collin Poirot.

Poirot continued, “Right now the administration thinks it can handle the strike without causing too much disruption. Our job is to amplify the strike by creating new crises that the Administration can’t handle.”

#CambridgeMA #Strikes #UNITEHERELocal26 #HarvardStrike #HarvardUniversityDiningService #HUDS

Cambridge, MA – The union of the 750 food service workers at Harvard University held a briefing and rally on Sept. 7 to announce their intent to hold a strike vote. The union, UNITE HERE Local 26, has been in negotiations with the university administration since late May, and workers say that little progress has been made on their two major issues.

One of the Harvard workers’ primary concerns is a management proposal to increase their health insurance costs. Similar increases were imposed on Harvard faculty and agreed to by some of the other unions at the university. The dining services workers have rejected this proposal because of the devastating effect that it could have on workers’ health.

Anabella Pappas, a member of the union’s bargaining committee, said during the briefing that university proposed co-pay increases would mean that “many of us will have no choice but to neglect to go to the doctor.” A group of Harvard Medical School students stood beside workers at the briefing and voiced their support for their struggle, arguing that from a medical perspective, the insurance plans being forced on Harvard’s workers are some of the worst in the country and would reduce access to preventative and life-saving medical treatment.

In addition to fighting against health insurance takebacks, the union is also fighting to secure a minimum annual income of $35,000 for Harvard workers. Many of the dining service workers are laid off for four months out of every year- when students are on summer holiday – and are barred from collecting unemployment during that time. Laquiesha Rainey, another member of the bargaining committee, described the hope for a better life that she felt when she got a job at a prestigious university. These hopes were soon dashed by the reality of cyclical layoffs. “I can’t feed my daughter off of prestige,” Rainey said. “I fail to understand how the richest university in the world can’t provide workers with a minimum of $35,000 a year.”

As the Harvard workers spoke, they were surrounded by a wall of photographs of workers who have committed to strike, if necessary. Organizers said there were over 600 photographs. Following the announcement of the Sept. 15 strike vote, workers and students took the wall of photographs and marched through Harvard Yard. Students across the Harvard system have also been organizing in support of the workers’ decision to strike.

Collin Poirot, a second year student at Harvard Law School, said that it is especially important for students to show up in support of staff. “We’re here to show the university administration that students and workers are united, and that we will always have the backs of Harvard workers, just as they have always had ours.”

No strike date has been announced, but the struggle on Harvard’s campus is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead.

#CambridgeMA #Strikes #Harvard #UNITEHERELocal26

Cambridge, MA – Hundreds of Harvard University workers and students rallied in the middle of Harvard Yard on April 14, as dining service workers prepare to enter negotiations for a new union contract. The workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents nearly 800 workers on Harvard’s campus. The rally focused on two key issues which are expected to loom large in negotiations with the university administration – health care and year-round work.

Last year, Harvard management inspired headlines and protests by gutting the health insurance of its faculty and other non-union staff. The largest union at the university, the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW), recently settled on a less onerous plan but still agreed to some cost-shifting to workers. Dining service workers who spoke at the rally made it clear that they were prepared to resist any attacks on their healthcare. Dining hall worker Anabella Pappas referenced Harvard’s record setting fundraising campaign, which has now raised over $6.5 billion in two and a half years. “These people have all this money and they still want to take from us,” said Pappas. “It disgusts me.”

The workers also referenced the struggle to survive without year-round employment. The dining hall workers are laid off during summer and winter breaks. Some workers in the crowd said that many of them can only rely on eight or nine months of work per year. In addition, the Harvard workers are legally barred from collecting unemployment during the months of layoff. Despite having won high hourly wages through past contract fights, many of the workers spoke of annual incomes that are out of step with these wages. In response to stories about the hardships created by this partial employment, the crowd chanted, “Hey Harvard, you’ve got cash, why do you treat your workers like trash?”

The members of Local 26 were joined by a large group of SEIU 32BJ members, who work in custodial and security jobs on campus. The SEIU members’ contract with the university expires in the fall. Student activists from multiple organizations were present in large numbers and very vocal in their support for the workers. Statements of support were made by organizations including the Student Labor Action Movement, Divest Harvard, the Harvard Islamic Society, and the Harvard Black Students Association.

#CambridgeMA #PeoplesStruggles #Protest #Harvard #fight #contract #Massachusetts

The house was packed on Dec. 17 in Cambridge, Mass., as a wide spectrum of organizations and activists came out to a forum on the growing menace of FBI repression. The program was organized by the new Boston chapter of the United National Antiwar Committee, along with 17 Boston-area anti-war and social justice organizations, including the International Action Center.

The program featured Meredith Aby, one of several anti-war and international solidarity activists from the Minneapolis area whose home was raided by the FBI on Sept. 24. Aby was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury that was supposedly investigating “material aid to terrorism” charges. (Details can be found at stopfbi.net.) The program was part of a four-stop New England tour for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, including two forums in Western Massachusetts and one in Connecticut.

Also speaking on Dec. 17 was Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, who has been falsely convicted in a targeted attack by the FBI and a campaign by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to smear and take down progressive African-American elected officials. A petition demanding no jail time for Chuck was circulated and can be signed online at iacboston.org.

Kathy Manley and Lynne Jackson of Project Salam spoke of the hundreds of cases of Muslims who have been victims of “preemptive prosecution,” convicted on secret evidence and secret charges and given long prison sentences. Their prosecution has been based on the FBI conclusion that the individuals had the “mindset” or “ideology” to commit or aid terrorism. Information on these cases can be found at projectsalam.org.

Laila Murad described the case of Tarek Mehanna, a respected leader in the Muslim community in Sudbury, Mass., who, after refusing to talk to the FBI about his friends and neighbors, is being locked down in solitary confinement 23 hours a day. His support committee can be contacted at www.freetarek.com.

Nancy Murray of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts described the refocus of law enforcement away from solving crimes and toward using massive databases to data-mine in order to “predict” who will commit crimes and then arresting them. She also reminded the audience that they should not allow the FBI into their homes without a warrant or speak to them without a lawyer.

#CambridgeMA #FBI #MeredithAby #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #ChuckTurner #ProjectSalam #TarekMehanna