Harvard Vote on TA Union Is Inconclusive

A majority of counted votes of Harvard University graduate students were against forming a union for teaching and research assistants, but the number of contested ballots is greater than the margin. That means that the National Labor Relations Board will determine the status of the contested ballots and will then make a final determination. Hearings are expected in January. A statement by the United Auto Workers unit organizing at Harvard said that an initial count found 1,272 graduate students voted for unionization and 1,456 against, while there were 314 contested ballots.

"While this news is not what we were hoping for today, our work is not over," said a statement from the UAW. "From the beginning, we have had concerns about Harvard's eligible voter list, and we are looking into its potential impact on the election results. We will continue to work to make sure that eligible voters who cast ballots subject to challenge have their votes counted."