Union Will Fight Possible Layoffs

Full Harvard-Radcliffe merger, still a distant possibility, poses the threat of job layoffs for many of the 185 members of Radcliffe's chapter of the International Building Service Employees Union.

Members of the Union, Local 254, met for over an hour yesterday in Agassiz Theatre to talk over the problem. Edward T. Sullivan, business agent and secretary-treasurer of the union, said the meeting did not come up with any specific plan for dealing with the potential merger.

"The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the issue of the merger. We are going to fight to retain the integrity of this union," Sullivan said.

"The labor agreement we have with Radcliffe has a year and a half left before it expires, and we will resist, by whatever means are necessary, any attempt to abrogate it," he added.

Sullivan said that the union is not interested in any aspect of the merger other than the fate of its own members. "We are not in a position to say what's best for Harvard and Radcliffe, we're not trying to do that. We are only interested in this group," he said.

Althogh Radcliffe has issued no formal announcements of what would happen to workers in the event of a merger, Sullivan felt it was important that the meeting be held "to talk about what the situation is, and reaffirm our integrity."