NLRB Orders a New Graduate Student Union Election

The National Labor Relation Board’s (NLRB) Boston office has ruled that Harvard should hold a new graduate student union election—invalidating the result of last November’s election, in which more students voted against unionizing than in favor. According to the decision, the University did not provide a complete list of eligible voters prior to the election, which created confusion about eligibility: “The employer’s failure to provide a complete voter list interfered with the employees’ exercise of a free and reasoned choice.” The University plans to appeal the case to the national NLRB. According to a statement sent to students from University director of labor and employee relations Paul Curran, “during the campaign leading up to Harvard’s November 2016 election, paid and volunteer organizers for the HGSU-UAW had unfettered access to students in the defined bargaining unit, across our physical campus and through e-mail, social media, and other communication channels. Students were well-informed, voted in large numbers, and voted against unionization.”