When it comes to representing the unions, Michael Boyle, PC '79, is the go-to man. Boyle not only serves as chief negotiator and Staff Attorney for Locals 34 and 35, and Chief Steward of Local 34, but he also practices immigration law for several Brazilian and Carribean residents of New Haven, Bridgeport, and Danbury.
After earning a history degree at Yale, Boyle earned his Masters Degree in Southeast Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Boyle spent several years working in printer plants before returning to his alma mater as a production assistant at the Yale University Printing Service.
During this period Boyle became involved in union activity at Yale. He furthered his education by earning a law degree from the University of Connecticut in 1993. It was at UConn that Boyle learned Portuguese, which he speaks with his Brazilian clients. When he is not mired in law, the New Haven resident spends time with his wife and two daughters, age five and seven.
As an undergraduate, Boyle's time went into working for the Pierson College Printing Press. Though he played a small role in the strike of 1977, he said, "I was not very informed.... I was the typical student, not heavily involved from day one. But seeing people on strike-that could obviously not afford to strike-upset me."
While Boyle said that there have not been any particularly dramatic changes since his time as a student, he noted that the labor force at Yale has become stronger with the unionization of Local 34. According to Boyle, unionized workers are more aware of their power.
Recently, for example, Locals 34 and 35 helped their sister union, Local 17, organize at the University of New Haven, Trinity College, Wesleyan, and Central Connecticut State Universities.
Boyle's perception of Yale has changed significantly since he graduated, primarily because of his key involment with the Administration. Even though 21 years have passed since Boyle's Old Campus days, "Yale still has the same [negative] attitude towards its work force," he said.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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