Lessons of the Harvard Dining Hall Strike Victory

The 750 striking Harvard University Dining Service workers — cooks, dishwashers, servers and cashiers — brought multibillion-dollar Harvard University to its knees on Oct. 25, 2016. After a three-week strike, the university bosses caved, giving the members of UNITE HERE Local 26 even more than they had initially demanded.

Most importantly, all the health care takeaways the Harvard Corporation had demanded were off the table. The strike victory holds valuable lessons for the workers and oppressed in the age of global capitalism — particularly under the Trump administration and the rise of fascist, racist elements.

This collection contains several articles from Workers World covering the strike, as well as a 4-part series by Chief Steward Ed Childs, a cook and leader in Local 26 for more than 40 years, explaining how the workers won.