Harvard Resident Tutors, Proctors File for Union Recognition

The Harvard Union of Residential Advisors — a group campaigning to unionize Harvard’s resident tutors, proctors and house-aides — filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday for official union recognition.

The filing comes just more than one week after HURA publicly launched its unionization campaign. If the petition is not dismissed or withdrawn, the group will hold an NLRB-conducted representation election, during which members of the bargaining unit will vote on whether to unionize.

To file a representation petition, a union must obtain signatures from at least 30 percent of workers in its potential unit. HURA is currently composed of 345 tutors, proctors, and house-aides who live in Harvard’s undergraduate residential Houses or freshman dorms.

Though the group only publicly announced its campaign last Tuesday, HURA has been organizing privately since May 2023.

A HURA spokesperson wrote in a Wednesday statement to The Crimson that the group “wrote representatives of the university yesterday so that we could express our intention to file with the National Labor Relations Board.”

The HURA spokesperson wrote the group’s “primary request is a meeting with the university to work towards an agreement on the terms of an election” before the NLRB hears the petition.

“We believe we can have a constructive relationship with Harvard and want to start that early so we can all follow a fair process,” the HURA spokesperson wrote.

A University spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If HURA and Harvard fail to reach an agreement before the NLRB hears the petition, a regional director will either encourage both parties to come to agreement for a voluntary election or order a direct election.

According to HURA organizer Brandon M. Martinez ’20, HURA will continue organizing and meeting with members of the unit.

“We anticipate there will be more one-on-one conversations happening around Houses and Yards and there will be spaces for all of us to meet and talk about our working conditions,” Martinez wrote in a Wednesday evening statement to The Crimson.

If the petition and election are successful, HURA will begin bargaining with the University as an official union.

According to HURA organizer and Kirkland House tutor Sara Kamouni, “proctors, resident tutors and house aides from across the College” are “worried about job security, transparency and equity in the workplace.”

“They believe in HURA’s potential to address those concerns,” Kamouni wrote in a Wednesday statement to The Crimson.

“Filing for an election with the National Labor Relations Board is an incredible milestone for any unionization campaign,” Kamouni added. “We’re excited to continue building on this momentum in the run-up to the vote.”

—Staff writer Aran Sonnad-Joshi can be reached at aran.sonnad-joshi@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @asonnadjoshi.

—Staff writer Sheerea X. Yu can be reached at sheerea.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @_shuhree_.