Crimson: Graduate Student workers authorize strike

When ballots were finally tallied last Friday for the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Automobile Workers (HGSU-UAW) strike authorization votes, the final tally showed 90.4% of voters in favor, the Harvard Crimson has reported.

The vote comes as graduate students are entering their second year of negotiations with Harvard for their first contract. While the vote itself is a strong signal to the administration, HGSU's bargaining team still views a strike as a last resort and hope to reach an agreement without having to resort to a work stoppage.

While the university and union have come to agreements on 11 proposals, the sticking point seems to center on compensation and health benefits. Union negotiators do report that last weeks vote brought energy to the negotiations as tentative agreements were reached on international students rights and workspace and materials.

There is currently no plan by HGSU to go out on strike.