Jackson to Address Noontime Union Rally

The Rev. Jesse Jackson will speak at a noontime rally on the banks of the Charles today to protest the antiunion activities of airline magnate Frank A. Lorenzo, whose Harvard Business School class is celebrating its 25th reunion this weekend.

The three Eastern Airlines unions, which are organizing today's rally, invited Jackson to speak and rented a plane to fly him to Boston. The former presidential candidate cancelled a speech at Memphis State University to attend the rally, according to his special assistant Mae Louie, who arrived at Logan late last night to prepare for Jackson's appearance.

The rally is being publicized on campus by the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW) as "a show of union solidarity against anti-union employers," said an organizer for the union. Since acquiring Eastern in 1986, Lorenzo has tried to lay off thousands of employees, and gain wage concessions from union negotiators.

"Harvard should not be proud of Frank Lorenzo," said E.J. Breen, the head of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the union primarily responsible for organizing the rally. "The Business School holds him up to be a great American business leader but we don't believe him to be such. We think he represents everything wrong with big business today."

According to Harvard officials Lorenzo will not be in town to meet his protesters.

Early yesterday Business School spokesmen said that they did not know whether Lorenzo would make the reunion, but University General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54 said last night that he was told by Business Schoolofficials that Lorenzo is "not going to be there."

"I am also told that the pilots' union wasinformed of this," Steiner said.

Breen confirmed yesterday that Harvardadministrators, whom he did not name, told himthat Lorenzo would not attend the reunion. In thatdisussion, Breen said, the University officialsexplained that they had convinced Lorenzo not tocome to Boston. "Harvard asked him not to appear,"the union representative said.

Steiner denied this last night, saying that tothe best of his knowledge "nobody from theUniversity contacted Mr. Lorenzo."

Business School officials could not be reachedfor comment.

Rally organizers said yesterday that Lorenzo'spresence was not necessary for the protest to be asuccess. "We're making a statement," said oneorganizer who asked not to be identified, "whatdifference does it make whether he is there ornot?"

The airline employees will meet early thismorning near Logan International Airport to hold a"pre-rally rally." The ALPA scheduled the rallywith the support of two other airline unions, theTransport Workers Union which representrs flightattendants and the International Association ofMachinists.

The unions will begin the demonstration at 11a.m. next to the Weeks Footbridge. Unionrepresentatives said there will be picket signs,an aerial banner flying over the Charles, andseveral speakers from the AFLCIO and the airlineunions. Jackson is scheduled to speak at noon.

The last time Jackson spoke at a rally atHarvard more than 5000 people attended. In that1985 speech, Jackson blasted the University forfailing to divest of its holdings in SouthAfrica-related companies