Strike hits Yale as classes begin

Students moving into their dormitory rooms at Yale University this weekend had more to deal with than slow elevators and traffic congestion outside their buildings.

Contract negotiations for the school's employees broke down last Wednesday, leading almost 2,000 clerical and technical workers to leave their jobs and instead take to the streets in picket lines.

According to Tom Conroy, a Yale spokesman, one of the biggest effects of the strike is the operation of the dining hall.

Because many of the employees have not been coming to work, upperclassmen have had their meal money refunded to eat at other restaurants, both on and off campus.

In addition, the school's freshman assembly, slated to take pla ce last Saturday, which usually features a welcoming address from the dean, was also postponed.

According to Conroy, "the unions were planning to disrupt" the event.

The employees on strike represent two unions, Local 34 and 35, and went on strike together on the first day of move-in, according to Conroy.

Local 34 represents clerical and technical workers, while Local 35 represents service and maintenance employees. Approximately 40 percent of Local 34's members are participating in the strike.

"We have to agree to higher wages, pensions, benefits and vacations," Conroy said. "We haven't reached an agreement yet."

"We feel that we should have continued to bargain," Conroy added.

"We hope that we resume negotiations soon and resolve this, get a new contract and get our workers the raises they deserve."

Despite the size of the strike, the university contends that the effect of the strike on new students who moved in last Friday and on the move-in process in general has been "minimal" thus far.

"We have a talented and dedicated management and professional staff, and they will all be working hard," Conroy said.

"We also have all the workers who chose to come to work," he added.

"We will be able to welcome our students as warmly as we usually do and provide for all their needs," he added.

While Penn has not yet been plagued with continuous labor strikes, if one of this magnitude did occur, it would most likely not disrupt the move-in process or campus life in general, according to Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum.

"Penn students lead, in partnership with faculty and staff, a great deal of the activity with New Student Orientation and move-in, unlike many, many, many other universities, which rely solely on staff," McCoullum explained in an e-mail statement.

"I think Penn students, along with our own fabulous College House faculty and staff, in partnership with VPUL, Facilities and Business Services colleagues, would do their usual great job to help with move-in if something like Yale happened here," McCoullum added.

McCoullum also commented that the relationship between Yale University and its employees seems to be very different from the one that Penn has with its staff.

"There seems to have been a strike at Yale for one thing or another for many, many years," she wrote.

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