Harvard Graduate Students Strike Amid Trump Epstein Scandals

On April 21, after 14 months of unsuccessful negotiations, more than 4,000 graduate student workers represented by the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118) began an indefinite strike. They suspended teaching and research to press demands for pay that keeps pace with the cost of living, independent grievance and arbitration processes for harassment and discrimination, protections for non-citizen students, academic-freedom safeguards, and fair-share fees to fund union representation. The dispute follows a lengthy bargaining process and disagreement over proposed pay scales and wage increases. This episode of Working People features three striking graduate student workers-Sara Speller (HGSU president), Zoe Feder (PhD student at Harvard Medical School), and Jacob Wolf (PhD student and teaching fellow)-who describe organizing at Harvard amid national political pressure, high local housing costs, and controversies involving donations and institutional ties. For updates, resources, or to support the hardship fund, consult the union’s official channels. The discussion explains the union’s core demands, the strike’s effects on teaching and research, and ways for listeners to follow developments or express solidarity.