Back in the spring of 1998, Bill Jaeger, director of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW), was worried.

Jaeger had always heard stories about "casual" employees--workers theoretically hired to work on a part-time basis for a three-month stint--actually working as full-time employees. They kept their "casual" status and received low wages and no benefits.

When the number of HUCTW members coming to union leaders with stories about abuses of the "casual" system increased, Jaeger, along with other HUCTW officials, decided to push the issue with the University.

Nearly a year and a half later, the University has done something somewhat out of line with typical Harvard protocol--they admitted they made a mistake in their handling of casual workers.

While the details of a final agreement between the University and HUCTW are being pounded out, a deal appears imminent where the University will agree to convert 400 to 500 current casual employees onto its full-time payroll.

Identifying the Problem

A casual employee is classified as any employee who works less than 17.5 hours a week or for less than three months. They typically receive no benefits, lesser pay and have little job security.

In July, Harvard made the first indication that it was trying to fix past errors when it issued a joint statement with HUCTW.