Harvard’s custodial workers have a hard-fought win on the table. After November strikes and months of stalled talks, custodians represented by SEIU 32BJ reached a tentative agreement Tuesday that would boost pay by roughly $4 an hour and add a $500 ratification bonus. If members sign off, the contract would be applied retroactively to the prior agreement’s expiration on Nov. 15, 2025 and would cover both Harvard-employed custodians and those hired through outside contractors. Union leaders are touting the proposal as one of the largest pay bumps campus cleaners have seen in decades, with a membership vote set to decide whether the deal becomes reality.
What the agreement would deliver
According to the Boston Business Journal, the tentative pact would raise wages by about $4 per hour for more than 800 custodians and includes a $500 signing or ratification bonus. The outlet reports that the proposal keeps access to affordable union health coverage intact and strengthens job-security language that union negotiators had been pushing to improve. The offer is structured to include both custodians directly on Harvard’s payroll and workers who clean campus buildings through contract firms.
How negotiations reached this point
Talks hit a wall after the previous contract expired in mid-November, and the university and union agreed to bring in a federal mediator following November work stoppages, according to The Harvard Crimson. Coverage of the dispute chronicled picket lines across Harvard Yard and at campus locations in Boston and Allston as custodians pushed for raises that would keep pace with regional inflation and escalating living costs, The Boston Globe reported. Union leaders say the federal mediator ultimately helped steer both sides toward the Tuesday evening agreement.
Next steps and reaction
Reaction among workers was celebratory but cautious, with the final word still in members’ hands. A bargaining-committee member said the pay increase will help workers “catch up with the rising costs of living,” as reported by MassLive via Yahoo. Regional leaders of 32BJ have framed the tentative contract as a major victory for campus service workers, while Harvard spokespeople have said the university looks forward to reviewing the full terms if custodians ratify the agreement. The deal will only take effect after a ratification vote by the custodial bargaining unit, and if approved, the wage increases would be applied retroactively to Nov. 15, 2025.
