Harvard Custodian Contract Will Raise Wages More than 15%

Custodians at Harvard University will receive a 15.25% wage increase over four years under a tentative contract agreement reached earlier this month, The Harvard Crimson reports.

When ratified, the contract will be effective from November 16, 2021 to November 15 2025. The agreement contains a 2.75% increase retroactive to November 16, a 3% increase July 1, 2022, a 3.25% increase July 1, 2023 and 2024, then a 3% increase July 2025. Harvard will also continue to cover health care premiums for employees, contributing US$1,402 per custodian in the new year.

New or increased benefits under the contract include a transportation subsidy for third-party contract workers equal to the one in-house custodians receive, a $1.75 hourly increase for workers on less desirable shifts, a $1.75 hourly premium on shifts removing snow, and a $1.25 hourly premium on shifts moving furniture.

The tentative agreement comes days after custodians and their supporters held a rally in Harvard Yard calling for higher wage increases.

Harvard custodians have spent a lot of time in contract negotiations over the last year. In January they approved a one-year extension of their 2016 contract, which expired November 2021.