Jonathan Shazar: The price of a Fed Club T-shirt

Some things are not worth doing for a free T-shirt. Every February, seniors traipse about the city, hitting bars both local and otherwise, drinking wine at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and getting spiffy for the semiformal, all in pursuit of membership in the exclusive Feb Club. This year, all it takes is getting 15 of the 19 stamps or stickers, mostly at Feb Club events that generally involve drinking alcohol at a reduced price. And as if drinking were not enough of a reward in itself, those who attain membership receive a wonderful Feb Club T-shirt that, in all likelihood, they will never wear. It can all be a lot of fun. After all, who can resist the dual temptations of drink specials and the potential for free stuff? So it must have been a rather rude surprise when Feb Clubbing seniors arrived at last Monday's event at Top Dog to find that ultimate party pooper, a picket line, standing between them and their cheap booze and sticker. Since September, members of the Local 247 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union have sporadically picketed the restaurant, protesting what they claim are illegal practices on the part of Top Dog management. According to the union, when Top Dog replaced Shula's Steak 2 at the Sheraton University City, it failed to heed a city ordinance requiring it to provide jobs to Shula's employees for three months. Top Dog owner Bruce Waugh claims that the provision does not apply to his establishment. The two sides have been unable to reach any sort of agreement, and so those wishing to dine at Top Dog have had to cross a picket line. Determining which side is in the right is a decision for each individual to make. The protestors state their case to all who wish to enter Top Dog or who are willing to listen. The consumer is then free to weigh the merits of their case and either take his seat or take his business elsewhere. But as far as Feb Club is concerned, that determination is unnecessary -- the Senior Class Board is in the wrong. To begin with, simply holding an official class event at a restaurant picketed by union members is an effective endorsement of management's position. It encourages 2,500-plus seniors to patronize Top Dog without considering for a moment the union's claims. It takes sides and makes a decision about a complicated issue for us. The board is in no position to do so. Second, it effectively excludes those members of the senior class who side with the union. Class events, sponsored by the Class Board, ought to be open to all. No one should have to sacrifice his or her principles to attend a Feb Club event. Third, regardless of whether a board endorsement of Top Dog's position is right or wrong, picket lines are by their very nature intimidating. There's nothing wrong with that; often, it is a union's only recourse when facing an intransigent employer. It is, however, wrong to ask a student to cross a picket line to attend a class-sponsored event. Seniors should not be forced to face that sort of intimidation because the powers that be decided to hold a Feb Club event at Top Dog. Lastly, there was no pressing need to bring Feb Club to Top Dog. There are literally thousands of places in the city where the event can be held; in the near vicinity of campus alone, bars including Cavanaugh's, the White Dog Cafe and Kelliann's were excluded from this year's rounds. Whether it would have been feasible to hold the event at these specific locations is irrelevant -- surely, there is another bar in Philadelphia that would welcome Feb Club with open arms. A more conscientious class board would have explored those options. And though there is no question that the Senior Class Board should not have had a Feb Club event at Top Dog, it is not solely to blame. Encouraged though they were, no one forced seniors across that line. Those who entered did so of their own volition. I'd like to believe that the ones who did rejected the union's argument after careful reflection, but I know better. Some may have, but the overwhelming majority doubtlessly ignored the cries and jeers of the picketers in single-minded pursuit of a good time. The men and women on the picket line deserve better. Standing out in the cold for months, they have presented their case, asking us not to patronize an establishment they feel has wronged them. They have done so peacefully and without incident. And they have done so while they've had to look for new jobs, in a terrible economic climate, while worrying about how to provide for their families -- things most Penn students need not think twice about. The very least we can do is hear them out. A free T-shirt might not be worth the price of crossing this picket line. Jonathan Shazar is a senior History and Political Science major from Valley Stream, N.Y.

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