"It is a good sign, not just in this issue, but because the right people are thinking about the right questions than any other time in the last four years," he said.

The union is still figuring out how it will incorporate its new-found members and how to celebrate this victory, but it still has other concerns.

The Living Wage Campaign has specifically not affiliated itself directly with the union's efforts, instead focusing on its mantra of $10 an hour for all Harvard employees.

"Of course, we applaud Harvard's actions on this...and see no reason they can't apply the same compassionate logic to their other employees," wrote Aron R. Fischer '99-'00, a campaign organizer, in an e-mail message.

But for the union, they say they have won their most important battle. Full time employees will be paid for full-time work, including benefits and union security.

"The pendulum is swinging now in the right direction. There are clean rules and strict guidelines. The jig is up...the days of unregulated use of the casual payroll is over," Jaeger said.

And it seems in many ways that both the union and the University, while haggling over the details, are seeing at least partially eye-to-eye on the importance of Harvard employees.

"These people are central to the University--we have to include them. They are our partners in a very substantial way," Taylor said.