Guard Union, Harvard Reach Contract Agreement, Negotiate Wage Increase

After more than 10 hours of negotiation Monday, Harvard and the the University’s smallest union reached a new contract agreement, ending months of contract negotiations for security, parking, and museum guards.

The group’s new contract includes higher pay for the lower half of union members, as well as benefits that allow extra personal days. Harvard University Security, Parking and Museum Guards Union, which has approximately 80 members, has been in negotiations with the University since June 30, when HUSPMGU’s contract expired. A federal mediator was present at Monday’s negotiations.

“We believe that this agreement serves well the interests of both the represented employees as well as that of the University, and we are hopeful for a ratification,” University spokesperson Tania deLuzuriaga wrote in a statement.

According to deLuzuriaga, the agreement includes an 3.14 percent increase in average annualized wages, as well as “acceptance of the University’s Active and Post Retiree health plans, and agreement on a mechanism to facilitate coverage for extra functions at the Harvard Art Museums.”

Union organizer Curt E. Rheault praised the pay raise that the new contract grants to HUSPMGU's low wage workers.

“Our goal was to bring up our lowest wage earners,” Rheault said. “Harvard was in agreement on that—our lowest wage earners were too low and we should fix that problem.”

Rheault also said that the union’s new contract will help members afford Harvard’s health care plan. He said that he worried that, under the union’s old contract, the union’s lowest paid workers struggled to afford healthcare.

“We still have a long way to go but we helped the lowest tier on wages and the effect that healthcare was going to have on them,” he said. “Everything else was secondary.”

“Any fee on a lower paid worker, it kills,” Rheault added.

According to Rheault, under the recent agreement with Harvard, union workers will receive a $275 flexible spending account to help offset the cost of medical co-pays.

“Harvard was once again willing to work with us and the main thing was they were able to help us offset the costs of medical care,” he said.

Although Rheault praised the benefits that HUSPMGU’s new contract guarantees for workers, he said that the group’s benefits were still worse than other unions’.

“We’re still going to be the lowest paid people at Harvard, but Harvard and us had an agreement where we’re still gaining ground on other unions,” Rheault said.

Responding to the claim that HUSPMGU was Harvard’s lowest paid union, University spokesperson Tania deLuzuriaga wrote, “HUSPMGU's proposed wage increase is consistent with other represented groups on campus. Hourly rates and benefits are competitive, and at times exceed, those for parking and museum attendants across the Greater Boston area.

In order to ratify the contract, union members must vote to adopt the terms of Harvard and HUSPMGU’s agreement. Rheault and other union organizers will present the proposed terms of the contract to the union on Monday. Union members will vote on Tuesday.

— Staff writer Caroline S. Engelmayer can be reached at caroline.engelmayer@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @cengelmayer13.