These Are Busy Times For Powers

It was a busy week for Ed Powers. The usually taciturn director of employee relations began the week by sharply criticizing District 65 of the Distributive Workers of America for the "false and misleading" statements the union has made about Harvard during the past month.

At midweek, he announced a settlement in the long-standing contract deadlock between the University and its nearly 600 custodians and watchmen. And at week's end, Powers' office was busy preparing a report which may finally clarify the obscure policy of granting promotions in the University kitchens--a policy that may be in violation of Affirmative Action guidelines.

For the second time Powers had addressed a letter to all of Harvard's over 8000 nonacademic employees this year in response to statements in District 65 newsletters.

This time, Powers was ired by the union's less-than-complimentary characterizations of Harvard's employee grievance procedure.

He called the newsletter's coverage of the recent Sherman Holcombe and Paul Trudel cases misleading and inconsistent. The union is "trying to make Harvard look like a lawbreaker," Powers said.

District 65 officials were slow to respond to Powers's criticisms, but the union's Harvard organizer, Deborah O'Dell, is reportedly preparing a response to Powers which will appear in the next set of District 65 newsletters.