Yale Clerical Workers Threaten To Walk Out on March 28

In what premises to be the biggest major strike in New Haven since 1978, New Haven local Union 34, representing Yale University, clerical and technical workers, will walk out on March 28 if Yale does not agree to renegotiate their contract.

Local 34 members believe their salaries and grievance procedures are unfair and that "nobody ever reaches the maximum wage or position within the union," Anne Bracker, an organizer for Local 34, said this week

Bracker added that the 2600 member union chose the March 28 date because "Yale students return from their spring break two days before this date, on March 26".

Looking

"It looks to me like they are looking for a strike," said Bracker. She added that "the firm Yale has hired to represent them in this dispute is notorious for union busting."

Bracker was referring to the Chicago-based law firm of Seyforth, Shaw, Fairweather, and Geraldson, which in the past 20 years has made several attempts to decertify the United Farm Workers Union.

Bruce Chrisman vice president for administration at Yale and the university's spokesman in this dispute, said he felt the university's contract proposal was not unreasonable."

The university has refused to submit to binding arbitration, because, according to Chrisman. "The administration will not let an outside parts determine the allocations of the university's resources.

In April 1983, the clerical and technical workers voted by a 1 percent margin to form a union That October the union began negotiations with Yale for a union contract.

Local 34 is a sister union to Local 35, which consists of dining hall employees. According to Bracker rumors have spread that Local 35 would go on strike in sympathy for its sister union.

But according to Susan Mizner, a temporary clerical worker who graduated from Yale last December. Local 35 is not likely to strike because it would be a big loss for them.

Union leaders for Local 35 meet today to decide what action they will take Chrisman says Local 35 cannot strike because they have a no strike clause in their contract.

Student Support

Students seem mixed on the issue. According to Mizner, there is a general "suspicion that Yale in trying to stall the negotiations in order to hunt the union, "but at the same time, there is also a suspicion that, "what they are hearing is only the union's side of the issue, because the university is not talking.

Dan Hellar, a sophomore at Yale who has supported the union, said the campus feels more "a general feeling of concern" than one of particular support to either side.

"The dispute is a central topic over dinner, over anything, "he added. Hellar said that because of the concessions made by the union in previous negotiations, "the pressure is now on the University to avert a strike."

Students have staged several demonstrations of student support. Last Tuesday, at a press conference, students urged Yale President A. Bartlett Grammatti to hurry the negotiations. On Thursday, the day before Yale's spring break started, a crowd of about 4000 rallied for the union in Yale's Bicnecke Plaza.

Mizner said that "management is prepared very well, and have already begun looking for places they can cut back," she added that, "six hundred clerical and technical workers have signed a letter to President Gramatti saying that they would continue to work in the event of a strike."

According to Hellar, "the strike can't last longer than a week or so, because neither side can afford to last longer." He added that if the strike, did last until the end of the academic year, "it is likely that the University would be able to break up the union."