Union Protests Contract

Labor unions are protesting Harvard's awarding of the Lowell Hall renovation contract to non-union labor.

Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has repeatedly ignored union concerns and continues to do many projects with non-union labor, said Mark L. Erlich, the business manager and financial secretary of Carpenters Local 40. "Lowell is the straw that broke the camel's back."

The union distributed flyers around the Harvard campus this week asking concerned people to call Harvard officials and register their concerns.

Michael N. Lichten, director of the office of physical resources in FAS, said that FAS is only following its longstanding policy of "getting the best product... [from] an excellent company at a competitive price."

Erlich said the use of non-union labor on the Lowell Hall project, worth about $2.5 million, violates the spirit of labor-management cooperation which Harvard entered when it agreed to the Project Labor Agreement in 1991.

Though the agreement did not cover the renovation of Lowell Hall, located on the corner of Oxford St. near the Science Center, "the implication was that this agreement was a harbinger of things to come," Erlich said.

Under the agreement, Harvard contracted all work done on the Yard dorms and Holyoke Center renovations to union labor. In return, the unions agreed to, among other things, take a 10 percent pay cut in all work covered by the agreement and forfeit their right to strike or protest during the work.

Erlich said that the unions had hoped that the policy of all union labor at Harvard would be extended past the Project Labor Agreement.

"[The Lowell Hall project] makes it crystal clear that, at least in FAS, the notion of theProject Labor Agreement is not embraced," Erlichsaid. "The issue now is urging the University toadopt a policy for future work."

"We have suggested that the centraladministration adopt a University-wide policy thatwould require the use of responsible employers foroutside contractors," Erlich said in a statement.

"We're not even asking for an all-unionpolicy," Erlich said. The "responsible" standardwould prevent the University from using "non-unioncontractors [who] provide no benefits and payworkers cash under-the-table [thereby avoiding taxobligations]," said Erlich.

"I think we already employ [responsiblestandards], though it may not be in writing,"Lichten said. "Establishing these standards is notas straightforward and easy as it sounds."

Lichten said FAS is concerned with more thanonly cost when awarding construction contracts."We certainly make an effort to give projects tocompanies that are good and fair to theiremployees," he said.

The carpentry firm that was chosen has profitsharing for its employees, pays a good wage andprovides health benefits, Lichten said.

He said, however, that cost was a factor indeciding who would turn the abandoned LowellLecture Hall into a multi-purpose performancespace.

"The union associated bids for Lowell Hall weremuch higher," said Lichten, arguing that he has a"responsibility to students to keep the cost ofHarvard low."

As for the allegation of under the table cash,Lichten said all Harvard contracts require "thatthe people will adhere to laws regardingwithholding tax, workers comp and wage taxes.

"We have suggested that the centraladministration adopt a University-wide policy thatwould require the use of responsible employers foroutside contractors," Erlich said in a statement.

"We're not even asking for an all-unionpolicy," Erlich said. The "responsible" standardwould prevent the University from using "non-unioncontractors [who] provide no benefits and payworkers cash under-the-table [thereby avoiding taxobligations]," said Erlich.

"I think we already employ [responsiblestandards], though it may not be in writing,"Lichten said. "Establishing these standards is notas straightforward and easy as it sounds."

Lichten said FAS is concerned with more thanonly cost when awarding construction contracts."We certainly make an effort to give projects tocompanies that are good and fair to theiremployees," he said.

The carpentry firm that was chosen has profitsharing for its employees, pays a good wage andprovides health benefits, Lichten said.

He said, however, that cost was a factor indeciding who would turn the abandoned LowellLecture Hall into a multi-purpose performancespace.

"The union associated bids for Lowell Hall weremuch higher," said Lichten, arguing that he has a"responsibility to students to keep the cost ofHarvard low."

As for the allegation of under the table cash,Lichten said all Harvard contracts require "thatthe people will adhere to laws regardingwithholding tax, workers comp and wage taxes.