The first agreement between Harvard and the Harvard University Security, Parking and Museum Guard Union (HUSPMGU) was ratified by union members on July 9. The agreement, which will be in effect through June 30, 2003, restructures wages to be consistent with market rates, provides for alternative work-week schedules for greater operational flexibility, and more clearly defines the three separate work units that employ the approximately 120 Harvard guards and attendants.

The agreement was reached after more than two years of negotiations between the University and HUSPMGU, a union formed in 1996 by Harvard’s security guards, museum attendants, and parking monitors. These employees had previously been represented by Local 254 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the union that currently represents Harvard custodial staff.

Specifically, the agreement includes a new wage scale for HUSPMGU employees which is competitive with those offered by other private employers and by contractors in the Greater Boston area. Wage levels of current employees whose rates exceed the rates in the new scale will be protected during the life of the agreement. The new contract also more clearly recognizes the three clearly defined operational work units (the HUPD security operation, the Harvard University Art Museums, and the Harvard Parking Department), and allows for staffing and operational needs to be met in a manner consistent with the specific needs of each work unit’s operation.