SDS, 3 Black Harvard Workers Confront Personnel Dept. Officers

Electrician's apprentice Charles McNeil and two other black University employees led 100 members of SDS to Harvard Hall yesterday, demanding that John B. Butler, director of Personnel, explain why McNeil has not received a 20-cent per hour pay increase.

"I am being robbed," McNeil shouted at Butler. "There has been a conspiracy between Harvard and the union to deny my pay increase."

Butler and Richard R. Coleman, manager of labor relations, maintained that McNeil had not fulfilled the work-experience requirements for a raise and promotion.

"We found that Mr. McNeil did not meet the requirements for a 10-cent pay raise, let alone a 20-cent raise," Coleman said. He added that in a private meeting a week ago, one of McNeil's co-workers-who had at a previous demonstration testified that McNeil did perform electrician's apprentice tasks-could not guarantee that McNeil had done even six months of such work. Six months of electrician's apprentice work are required for a 10-cent per hour pay increase, one year's work for a 20-cent raise.

Yesterday's confrontation-the third in as many weeks-heard similar charges of racism from another black worker, Kurtis Bridgman. Bridgman, who had studied electronics for two years at Northeastern University and subsequently held jobs with KLH and the M.I.T. Instrumentation Laboratories, told Butler that he had been promised electrician's work but had been relegated to "washing lightbulbs and cleaning fixtures."

Prior to the confrontation, Butler had said there was "a standing order to hire any qualified black electrician," but that none had been found. After hearing Bridgman's allegation, Butler denied that the employee had been "lied" to when hired, but said he was unfamiliar with the case.

The third black worker present, Charles Parks, told Coleman that McNeil's assignment to a "racist" union-taught remedial-math course was unfair, as other workers were going to schools closer to their homes, Colemanreplied that while it is licensed by the state, the school nearest McNeil's house is not recognized by Harvard's Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), and a transfer would have to be brought up before the JATC.

"The JATC is a kangaroo court," McNeil charged. "It is made up of four union racists and four Harvard bosses." Butler said he would not recommend the transfer to the committee, largely because of the higher tuition involved. "But we don't intend to tell the JACT how to run their business," he said.

Coleman added that a new "higher-quality" remedial education program will begin next Monday, and that three quarters of the apprentices eligible have signed up for it.

"We could save a quarter of a million dollars by cutting out the apprenticeship program." Butler said. "Apprentices are less efficient than journeymen, and there are a number of people involved in administering the apprenticeship programs."

SDS members maintained that Harvard's apprenticeship program, as presently constructed, saves the University money it would otherwise spend on higher journeymen's wages. "We're here not just to win 20 cents for Charles McNeil-which we will," said Hilary Putnam, professor of Philosophy. "We're here to win a new helper's program."

Asked by an SDS member at the end of the meeting whether he felt the three confrontations had done any good, Butler said, "We've attempted to glean from these meetings-which is rather difficult-facts which could lead to further investigations."

McNeil, as he left, said, "I'm going to keep protesting."