Friends,

We are asking for your support this week, as we rally behind Ravi Raj, a Harvard employee who has endured considerable harassment in the workplace and now faces the loss of his job. We will gather to picket in front of CGIS North (1737 Cambridge St.) on Thursday, September 3rd at 12 pm.

Ravi Raj is employed at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS). Beginning in 2007, Ravi suffered racial slurs and the ridicule of his Indian accent on the job. He approached many responsible administrators on the matter, with the result that his office was taken away, his work was subjected to heavy scrutiny, and he received mediocre evaluations despite superb productivity and credentials. Ravi, a member of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, turned to the union for help, only to face retaliatory discipline from management.

Ravi was confronted at work and threatened by a stranger, hours before a planned meeting with administrators to address racial discrimination. He has experienced anonymous telephone harassment. Ravi has faced unusual surveillance: a supervisor was once observed taking pictures of his friend's car, parked near Ravi's workplace. Throughout, Ravi has provided excellent IT desktop support. His work output was recently proven to be among the best in his unit, below only the department manager's level of production. He often receives effusive compliments from clients. Nevertheless, on August 20, Ravi was threatened in writing with termination, supposedly for poor performance. His job is now on the line after a protracted struggle to end discrimination in the workplace

Ravi has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). He has refused to be intimidated, even as he faces being fired. Ravi supports two children who are pursuing higher education and an elderly father. He urgently needs our support! Please join workers, students and concerned community members this Thursday.

Best regards,

Student Labor Action Movement