Yale Employees Strike as Students Are Forced to Do Without Heat, Light

Yale is now without heat, light, janitor, maid, or campus police services.

Acting soon after an election which have it full bargaining rights in certain key departments of the university, CIO local 142 of the United Construction Workers has called a strike for today which will tie up about 400 workers for an indefinite period.

It was learned late last night, however, that Morgan R. Mooney, secretary of the State Labor Mediation Board, has volunteered to mediate the strike and arbitration will begin this morning at 10:30 o'clock.

The breakdown in negotiations resulted from a deadlock between the union and university officials over the question of a union shop. A statement from Yale officials said they made every effort to avoid a strike. "The university respects the rights of non-union employees just as much as it does the rights of union members. The university, if it agreed to a union shop, would force non-union employees to join the union and pay dues against their will.

"This would be unjust interference with the rights of employees to join or not to join the union. There is no place for such compulsion in the relations of the university and its employees"

If the strike should not be settled tomorrow the situation may be extremely serious. With electricity cut off, refrigeration in the kitchens will be impossible and the food will spoil. Students would have to cook and serve meals themselves, make their own beds and clean their rooms.

The university "would sooner shut down than allow a union shop" said William Ford, chairman of the Yale News, by telephone last night. Unless Mooney is successful in mediating between Yale officials and the university this morning, the strike may develop into a marathon to see which faction can hold out longer.