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Air Horns, Immigration Demands And Colbert Chaos: Harvard Strike Goes Off The Rails
A Harvard panel featuring Stephen Colbert and Yo-Yo Ma was halted after a fire alarm sounded, prompting the packed Sanders Theatre to be evacuated. The incident took place during a graduate student workers’ strike, whose members were picketing outside and had urged the guests to move or cancel the event; university police said there was no fire.
The union denied setting off the alarm and said its members were picketing peacefully, while Harvard is investigating. The approximately 2,600-member union began striking after more than two years and 54 bargaining sessions without an agreement on demands including higher wages and stipends, family benefits and protections for non-citizen workers. Earlier picketing disrupted an exam with megaphones and air horns, drawing criticism from Harvard deans.
In short
- A fire alarm interrupted a Harvard panel during a graduate workers’ strike.
- The union denied responsibility; Harvard is investigating.
- The strike follows 54 bargaining sessions without an agreement.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The strike can be seen as a legitimate response to prolonged negotiations that produced no agreement, despite 54 bargaining sessions, over pay, family benefits and protections for non-citizen workers. Peaceful picketing and calls to move or cancel a high-profile event may be reasonable ways to draw attention to workers’ concerns, while the union’s denial of responsibility for the alarm should be taken seriously as the investigation proceeds.
The case against
Harvard can argue that students, staff and invited guests should be able to attend university events and exams without disruption, and that air horns or megaphones can impede others’ work and study even when used in a labour dispute. If the alarm was deliberately triggered, evacuating a packed theatre would raise serious safety concerns; the union’s denial and the university’s investigation mean responsibility remains unresolved.