Strike May Hit Radcliffe After Council Meets Oct. 7

Radcliffe maintenance, housekeeping, and dining hall workers voted yesterday to strike the College but later agreed to postpone action until the College Council discusses the dispute at its regularly-scheduled October 7 meeting.

The 110 employees, members of local 254 of the Building Services International Union, have continued working on what their negotiator called a "day-to-day" basis after their contract expired July 1.

Negotiations were suspended in June but resumed again several weeks ago when the dining hall and housekeeping workers returned to work with the start of the new term. After J. Boyd Britton, vice-president of Radcliffe and the College's negotiator, made what he called the College's "final offer," the union's representatives called a membership vote yesterday afternoon. A majority of the employees voted to reject the offer and authorize a strike, but the representatives later agreed with Britton's proposal to delay action.

Edward T. Sullivan, the Union's negotiator, said last night that he is "not optimistic" that the Council--Radcliffe's governing body-- will make an offer acceptable to the Union and that a strike is "likely." Britton was not available for comment last night.

Wages, Sullivan said, are the Union's major concern. The recently-expired contract provided that wages for similar work be roughly equal at both Harvard and Radcliffe. Both Mary I. Bunting, president of Radcliffe, and Sullivan said last night that the College's "final offer" puts wages at about the current Harvard levels.

"Institutions as close as these can't be played off against one another," Mrs. Bunting added, explaining that the College wants to maintain this provision in a new contract. The Union maintains that neither the current nor proposed Harvard-level wages are sufficient for current costs of living.

The Union also wants to change current promotion practices. Under present rules, management is allowed to decide all promotions with the consultation of the Union. The employees want the right to submit promotional grievances to arbitration.

A union representing about 600 Harvard housekeeping workers and bakers had threatened a strike early in September, but negotiators reached agreement which met most union demands on September 12