Globe, NPR: Harvard Grad Students call off strike

Both the Boston Globe and Boston's local NPR affiliate, WBUR, report that Harvard Graduate Student Workers ended their nearly month-long strike on Wednesday, just before teaching positions were set to officially begin on January 1st.

The union says that the introduction of a federal mediator to negotiations scheduled for January and a statement from Harvard administration that the student workers interpret as setting a timeline for negotiations to get a contract by January 27th are positive developments in negotiations and a sign they are being listened to. The administration denies that their stated hope of a contract by the end of the month is in anyway a set timeline, however, and union leadership has declined to say weather a failure to have a contract by the 27th would trigger another strike.

During negotiations in December, the two sides came to an agreement on six points, however disagreement still remains over issues of wages, healthcare, and grievance procedures around issues of sexual harassment and racial discrimination.