Students question success of labor agreement

By Hugh Hunter

As all but the most oblivious of Yalies know, on Fri., Dec. 20, the Federation of University Employees, better known as Locals 34 and 35, and the Yale Administration finally settled on contracts ending the labor dispute that has dominated campus news for the past year.

Because both parties left the bargaining table with some of their goals achieved, officials on both sides have referred to the contract as "win-win."

But after a year of unrest and inconvenience for students who were caught in the middle of a debate that many barely understood, are Yalies going to see improvements in the services they pay for as a result of the new contracts?

Union spokesperson Deborah Chernoff said the most noticeable change for undergraduates, and perhaps the only notable one, will be the addition of fast-food options to the dining plan. "With the exception of fast- food cash units, nothing leaps to mind," Chernoff said.

Although University officials directly correlated increased subcontracting rights with better service in the dining halls during contract negotiations, it may not be enough to improve the quality of undergraduate dining facilities, according to some students. "I would much rather eat in restaurants that have to compete with other restaurants, and as a result produce good food. The dining hall has no competition, and can force us to eat their food because they get paid even if we choose to eat elsewhere," Rasika Jayasekera, CC '99, said.

Clearly, the University was originally looking for more, but "the arrangement made was a compromise," Deputy Director of Public Affairs Tom Conroy said. "The basic goal of the University was to improve the quality of the services it provides," he added.

However, if the latest compromise between the unions and Yale breaks down, some students claimed they would not be overly concerned. When dining hall, custodial and clerical workers hit the picket lines last year, students were refunded their weekly meal stipend of $105.84 and were allowed to spend it however they chose.

"With the $105.84 last year, I would actually walk away from the week with a profit," Angela Campbell, CC '99, said. "It goes to show you how overpriced our meal plans are," she said.

Students said they care primarily about dining service and don't believe the service they receive in the colleges will change. "I'm glad that the unions settled, but I'm really going to miss the [possibility] of $105.84 a week. We could buy what we want and not have to settle for cod, scrod, or stir fry," Adrian Thomas, CC '98, said.

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