Brown Employees May Strike Sunday

ROVIDENCE, R.I.--About 330 Brown University custodial, maintenance and food services workers may strike at midnight Sunday if they do not reach an agreement with administrators over wage increases, university officials said yesterday.

Members of the union voted 219 to 10 Thursday to reject Brown's offer of a 9-per-cent first-year wage increase and an 8-per-cent second-year wage increase. The union is demanding a 13-per-cent wage increase the first year and a 13.5 per-cent increase the second year. The current contract expires at midnight Sunday.

Brown administrators said yesterday the university would remain open and classes would continue during a strike.

Noting that a similar 104-day strike occurred in 1976, John Robinson, associate dean of students, said the situation is a "normal kind of conflict, nothing unusual. If there is a strike, I do not expect it to be long or acrimonious," he added.

Because the university employs many students and non-union personnel, Brown probably would not recruit many people to fill positions vacated in a strike, Robinson said.

Richard J. Ramsten, senior vice president, said "It would be difficult but we would make it."

Robinson said he doubted there would be widespread student support for the strikers.