Printers' Strike Enters Third Week; Maintenance Union Ready to Go Out

Members of the Buildings and Grounds Maintenance Association this week-end reaffirmed their pledge to strike the University while members of the Lithographers International (AFL-CIO) settled down for what one member called, "a long, long strike

The BGMA sent out a letter Friday to its membership and to other University employees insisting that if a "work-stoppage is necessary" to get the University to recognize the Boston Crafts Maintenance Council, the BGMA's newly elected bargaining agent, it will go out on strike.

The BGMA membership two weeks ago authorized the group's officers to call a strike at the officers' discretion. Yesterday Robert S. Richardson, president of the BGMA, said that it was "just a matter of timing" to determine when the union will go out.

He predicted that unless Harvard recognized the Crafts Council soon, the BGMA men would probably go out when it comes time to set up the chairs and other paraphernalia for Commencement. He also predicted that a strike by the 265-member University-wide union would be recognized by all other AFL-CIO unions dealing with Harvard, as well as by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. This recognition, he said, would mean and end to much of the construction work at Harvard and to all deliveries to the University.

Harvard contends that a special state-run election should determine who is the bargaining agent for the BGMA membership. But Union officials point to the overwhelmingly clear status of the vote which authorized the Crafts Council as the bargaining agent and to the fact that a large back-log of cases would make a state election nearly a year away as reasons why Harvard should recognize the Crafts Council now.

Furthermore, they note that Harvard, as a non-profit institution, is not bound by Massachusetts Fair Labor Laws and would not have to abide by the decision in a state-run election.

The real reason why Harvard is reluctant to recognize the Crafts Council, according to Boston labor observers, lies in the strike by the Lithographers International. The Lithographers International is a high-powered union with a reputation for exceedingly good settlements. Harvard, these observers reason, fears that other unions would use the settlement that the Lithographers would get as a target for their own attempts. And unions with profes- sional bargaining agents like the Crafts Council would stand a very good chance of getting similar settlements.

Thus, Harvard is unwilling to settle with the Lithographers for fear of having a "high-grade contract" on the books. Recognizing the BGMA's professional negotiators, in the minds of University officials, might mean that Harvard would also have to settle with he Lithographers. "These are legitimate fears," one observer said, "but they're fears other employers have had to face."

"Harvard will probably play a waiting game now," he noted, "and hope for one or the other of the unions to get tired."

University Printing Office officials denied yesterday that outside help was being brought in to print examinations or that the University was planning to close down the printing office itself. "We want the men to come back to work," Carl Getz, assistant director of the Printing Office, said last night.

And David Hussey, International Vice-President of the Union, said, "We want to go back to work. We don't expect to get the prevailing Boston area rates. There are special circumstances here at Harvard. We just want an adequate contract.