The 'Bully' in the Pulpit

To the editors:

Ariel Z. Weisbard ’02-’03 claims that a group of janitors cannot “somehow coerce” Harvard because they do not have $18 billion or a media bureau. This statement ignores that the janitors are not alone; they have the force of the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) behind them.

The more important question to ask is with what force PSLM is operating. A few weeks ago, President Lawrence H. Summers approved an unprecedented wage hike, largely because last year’s unlawful occupation of Mass. Hall prompted the formation of the Harvard Committee on Employment and Contracting Policies.

How did the PSLM accomplish this? Merriam-Webster’s defines coercion as “to bring about by force or threat.” At a recent rally for PSLM, Dimon Professor of Communities and Schools Pedro Noguera was quoted as saying, “if [Summers] wants a peaceful spring, he’ll deal with us now.” PSLM member Madeleine S. Elfenbein ’04 has written, “Harvard will have to continue to post police officers outside of Mass. Hall.” Supplemented by the posters we all saw go up recently (“President Summers...We Know Where you Are and We’re Coming to Getcha”), these are very clear threats.

The real power of PSLM, of course, is that we know it will go to any ends to accomplish its goals, and that although it attributes a bully pulpit to Harvard, it is actually the one who received the bulk of favorable media coverage last year. It has seized the moral high ground as assuredly as it seized Mass. Hall and disrupted the lives of Harvard workers (let’s not forget that the administration secretaries receive a paycheck from Harvard) and students alike.

Let’s not glamorize the demands of PSLM. Ultimately, its goal is to work against 250 years of history in this country, a history that has nurtured the belief that all people are entitled to negotiate with their employer, collectively or otherwise, for terms that are acceptable to both parties, without interference from third parties. Coercion—and there is no doubt that coercion is being practiced quite freely—eliminates that freedom.

Shannon F. Ringvelski ’04

Feb. 25, 2002