Students Gather Nearly 500 Signatures in Support of Striking Custodians

Nearly 500 Harvard affiliates signed a petition on Tuesday in support of striking University custodians ahead of a new round of talks with Harvard negotiators on Wednesday.

Campus custodians, who are represented by Service Employees International Union 32BJ, launched a two-day strike on Monday after contract negotiations with Harvard stalled over wages. Directly employed custodians went on strike Monday, and a separate contingent of contracted workers left their shifts at the Harvard Business School on Tuesday.

While Harvard does not negotiate the terms of employment for contracted custodians, union spokesperson Franklin Soults confirmed that contractors generally adopt Harvard’s agreement with direct employees for their workers.

The petition, organized by a group of Latino students and members of the Student Labor Action Movement, urges Harvard to “change course and start seriously bargaining towards a just and equitable contract for custodians.”

“Custodians keep our houses, dining halls, libraries, and classrooms clean, safe, and livable,” the petition reads. “They open our buildings before we’re awake, maintain the spaces we rely on, and do the unseen work that keeps campus running. Supporting them now honors their work and the people who make Harvard run.”

Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton declined to comment on the petition, instead referring The Crimson to a Monday statement on the strike.

“Harvard is taking steps to minimize disruption to services across campus. We are also actively engaging union leadership and have offered additional meeting times so we can continue the negotiations, in good faith, toward a fair contract, beneficial to all,” Newton wrote.

"Harvard’s custodial workers are valued members of our community who enable teaching and research in critical ways,” he added.

Custodians began bargaining a new contract early last month, and their current agreement expired Saturday. The sides are scheduled to negotiate on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Paloma Del Valle ’26, who initiated the organizing efforts, said she was spurred to act after overhearing custodians discuss possible benefits from student support. She messaged a GroupMe for Latino students, who coordinated with SLAM to circulate a petition.

“I’m very proud to be here supporting you guys. I love being able to listen to Spanish when I’m in my house, Quincy,” Del Valle said in a speech delivered in Spanish during the Tuesday strike.

Cambridge City Council members Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Burhan Azeem, and Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80, alongside councillor-elect Ayah Al-Zubi ’23, also attended the strike on Tuesday — following a Nov. 3 City Council resolution that urged Harvard to “engage in good faith with the demands of workers represented by 32BJ SEIU.”

The resolution and councilor appearances mark another show of local support for Harvard unions as they navigate a landmark year of contract negotiations. Last month, the Cambridge City Council adopted a resolution condemning Harvard’s decision to remove more than 900 students from its graduate students union.

Sobrinho-Wheeler said that an overly adversarial approach to bargaining could threaten Harvard’s support from the City in the coming months.

“Harvard depends on Cambridge for a lot of things, everything from zoning changes to traffic permits,” he said in an interview.

“We are taking into account your presence in your community when we’re considering these things,” he added.

—Staff writer Amann S. Mahajan can be reached at amann.mahajan@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @amannmahajan.