Harvard University

Harvard Will Compensate Its Furloughed Dining Contractors | Eater Boston

"Initially offering 30 days of paid leave and benefits only to employees directly hired by the university, the administration left contract dining and catering workers out of the relief plan during the COVID-19 disruption. After pressure from unions and student activists — including a Labor and Employment Action Project (LEAP) petition with more than 7,000 signatures and organized “call‑ins” — the university agreed to provide regular pay and benefits to all employees, including contract workers, retroactive to March 10 and continuing through May 28. The university will direct cash assistance to contractors’ primary employers (for dining staff, Restaurant Associates), who must ensure the funds are used to pay and provide benefits to affected workers; eligibility is contingent on workers being well and available for work but displaced from their assignments and unable to obtain new ones, with determinations left to the primary employer. University spokespeople and administrators framed the move as feasible given an endowment north of $40 billion and as crucial relief for many impacted campus workers." - Terrence Doyle