In three weeks, Local 35 will put down the signs, the megaphones, and the noisemakers and will return to work for the remainder of the school year. But now, as the strike becomes more and more raucous, and students get increasingly annoyed at being woken up by honking cars and by having to walk to their TAs' apartment for class, Locals 34 and 35 have organized the icing on the strike cake.
A couple of weeks ago, the Unions obtained the necessary legal permits to stage a protest on the upper section of the New Haven Green and to organize activities on certain streets during the Memorial Day weekend. Not a big deal for most Yalies, as the majority of the student body will have left for the summer. But for the graduating seniors of the class of 1996, Baccalaureate Day and University Commencement span Memorial Day weekend.
Local 35 federation President Bob Proto, when asked why Memorial Day weekend was chosen, said, "I believe that [Memorial Day] is a day that the whole country will be focusing on New Haven, and it will be a day for unmasking Yale-a place which claims to be liberal and free-thinking-as a place that is cruel to its work force, has turned into a profit-making organization, and has gone the way of big business." Proto also stressed that the activities were scheduled for Memorial Day weekend primarily because of the attention the holiday draws to issues of labor, not because of commencement ceremonies.
Local 34 President Laura Smith had a slightly different angle on the issue. Smith said, "The idea behind everything we're doing is to demonstrate a resolve to get suitable contracts." Proto, on the other hand, said the activities would be much more centered around the Memorial Day holiday, with a procession around the residential areas where many union members live, to honor the workers.
Both agreed that the Unions' goal was not to upset the students and parents at graduation, although that might be inevitable. "We hope the parents will see our protest as a sign that the University is not holding their son's and daughter's best interests at heart," Smith said. Proto concurred, saying, "[The activities] are in no way meant to hurt the students."
Gary Fryer, director of the Office of Public Affairs, said the University really has no reaction to the news. "Although we might prefer they didn't [protest] on such a special day, Yale University has a long tradition of respecting the rights of people, and we respect the rights of the Unions."
Part of Yale's traditional Class Day ceremony includes a procession of students from the New Haven Green, through Phelps Gate, and onto Old Campus. With an official permit to occupy the Green, the Unions and Yale have a direct conflict. "The New Haven Green is public property, and the Unions have a right to be there," Fryer said. "But Yale University also has a right to be there as part of a long-standing tradition.... Yale is currently working with local authorities and student groups to ensure that graduation remains a special day for students and families," Fryer said.
The protest will not disrupt commencement ceremonies if the strike is settled before Memorial Day, although a resolution is not likely. "Hopefully the University will come to its senses before commencement," Smith said.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
This article may be freely distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice, but may not be reprinted without the express written permission of The Yale Herald, Inc. Write to herald@yale.edu for additional details.