Union leaders were initially divided on whether or not to accept the proposal, but union spokesperson Deborah Chernoff said they agreed to it because "we want to make sure that, if there is a strike, we've done everything we can to try to prevent it."
"This is not because we think we're making progress, or we're close on a lot of things and we need to work out the details. We're not anywhere close to settling," Chernoff said. "We're not just far apart. We're talking about a deep philosophical rift. They are rejecting virtually everything we say."
Both sides have clear incentives to avoid a strike, which would be the seventh at Yale in the last 28 years. Previous academic studies at Yale have found that general strikes cost employers an average of $1,000 per day per striking employee; even if only two-thirds of union members were to strike for only two weeks, that could mean a loss of over $20 million to the University. And union members face the loss of their paychecks in an economy which offers little opportunity for temporary work.
Negotiations are scheduled throughout the weekend. Since Nov. 2, 1995, the two sides have reached agreements on the placement of union bulletin boards and letting homeless people shovel snow.
The contract extension also gives members of both negotiating committees a chance to watch one of the few battles receiving more national publicity: the Super Bowl. "People will certainly be happy to be able to see the game," Chernoff said. When asked if negotiators considered the game as a reason for the extension, she admitted that "The issue was raised - in jest."
The week featured the debut of a third party in negotiations, federal mediator Lawrence Gloekler. Gloekler's presence came in response to the University's request for assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
"It would be tragic if the workers and the University were subjected to the sacrifices and hardships of a strike when the collective bargaining process has not really been allowed to function," Administration negotiator Peter Vallone said. "We hope a federal mediator can help the unions understand that, and finally get real bargaining started."
Chernoff, however, said that bringing in a mediator is not a sign that the Administration is willing to negotiate seriously. "They presented this as their 'Great White Hope' for negotiations," Chernoff said. "It's a bit disingenuous for them, since the mediator would have come in a few days whether they asked for him or not." She added that the presence of Gloekler has made "essentially no difference" in the progress of the negotiations.
The federal presence adds another chapter to the strange history of mediators in Yale labor fights. In March 1984, a federal mediator was brought into negotiations with Local 34. Like this year, he was brought in only days before the strike deadline, and, like this year, union leaders were initially doubtful that a federal presence would make much difference in negotiations. "It would be misleading for anyone to conclude that the mediator is likely to be of any help," then-chief negotiator for the unions John Wilhelm, TC '67, said. "We're glad to have him come, but a mediator can't help when the two parties are miles apart." However, the two sides did manage to agree to an interim contract within two days and postponed the infamous 10-week strike until September.
During that strike, the two sides hired a private mediator, New York lawyer Eva Robins, to assist with negotiations. As with this year, the University was hopeful then that the mediator could break the impasse. "Mediation can be very helpful in assisting the two sides to find common ground which will result in a contract," then-Vice President for Administration Michael Finnerty said. However, the strike stretched on through the rest of the semester, leaving dining halls closed and student bathrooms uncleaned.
In the 1984 strike, Local 34 appealed to the Administration to turn over negotiations to another mediator: a panel of three faculty members, whose recommendations would be binding for both sides. And two weeks ago, GESO made a similar proposal in the wake of the grade strike. In both cases, administrators forcefully rejected the idea. "There's no way we'd ever consider that," President Richard Levin, GRD '74, said last week.
The current mediator, Gloekler is hardly a newcomer to tough labor battles. In 1982, he helped to settle a month-long strike at Berkshire Gas Co. in Massachusetts. The final settlement gave workers a 28 percent pay raise, and Gloekler received praise from union president John Anderson, who said the mediator was "instrumental" in bringing the two sides together.
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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