The faces caught in the crossfire

When their contract expired 26 months ago, Yale's police officers could never have imagined it would come to this.

But this afternoon, with negotiations at a standstill and frustration on both sides continuing to mount, the Yale Police Benevolent Association (YPBA) turns to Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. to discuss its latest proposal for a contract settlement. A meeting between the mayor and University negotiators will most likely follow.

This is not the first time that the police union has made a call to City Hall--a similar attempt was made a few weeks prior to Commencement in May. DeStefano reviewed the union's proposals and agreed to help mediate the dispute. Yale and the YPBA met twice this summer with DeStefano acting as mediator. But even DeStefano--a key player in the 1996 settlement between the University and Locals 34 and 35--can't get either side to budge.

Now that school is back in session, both sides seem more willing to resume bargaining. Yet despite agreements on dozens of issues, two still stand in the way of an agreement: the conditions of officer pensions and qualifications needed to obtain disability benefits.

While University officials insist that they have made significant strides on pensions, including the option for officers to begin collecting at age 50, the YPBA counters that the conditions of the proposed pension plan are so unattractive that no officer would take advantage of the opportunity to retire at the earlier age.

A similar rift exists on the collection of disabil- ity benefits. The University will offer long-term disability (LTD) only when policemen are acting as official representatives of the law on or off-duty. The union wants these benefits extended to all off-duty injuries, regardless of whether or not officers were acting in an official capacity when injured.

The officers' insistence on these issues makes the possibility of a quick settlement highly unlikely. "These issues are just so vital," YPBA Spokesman Officer Chris Morganti said. "Pension and LTD are always the most important."

The stalemate has caused the YPBA to explore other ways to get their message across. Last year saw a Bulldog Days protest and one-day work slowdown. According to Morganti, more demonstrations could soon follow. If negotiations continue to go nowhere, prominent University dates such as Parents' Weekend are likely targets for protests.

And with both sides drawing their lines in the sand, job actions could soon become more serious. "We always have the option to call for a strike vote," Morganti said. "And I'm personally confident that we have enough support to call for such a vote." Once a vote is called for, officers then make the final decision whether to take action.

The University is taking the possibility of a strike very seriously. "We are prepared to keep the campus secure--that's the reality of the situation," Brian Tunney, Yale's director of labor relations, said. "We have to be ready." Tunney stated that in the event of strike, supervisors would assume some of the duties of the union officers, and New Haven police would be called on for help.

But for now, talk of a strike is just that--talk. There's plenty of it after two years with no settlement. And while not everyone affected by the 26-month standoff has a seat at the bargaining table, countless surrounding players have opinions, stories, and ideas about the most recent of Yale's labor woes. Their stories follow.

The chief

While the police union and University negotiators have made their positions in the contract dispute clear, not everyone wearing a Yale police uniform is part of the YPBA. Those in supervisory positions are not part of the union, and thus have different terms under which they work for the University.

It would seem that such a working arrangement might cause tension between supervisors and union members. On the one hand, all officers must work together to ensure safety on the Yale campus; on the other hand, a bitter contract dispute cannot be easily forgotten, especially when your supervisor is not your equal at the negotiating table.

The man who knows this better than anyone is Acting Police Chief James Perrotti. A 25-year veteran of the Yale police force, Perrotti has looked sympathetically upon his officers' suffering throughout the dispute. But at the same time, he remembers his own days as a Yale cop--when working conditions were vastly different than those of the present.

"When I was a patrol officer, there was no bargaining unit, so we took what the University gave us," Perrotti said. "I pretty much accepted what the University was giving at the time, and hoped that improvements would be made. And that has happened."

The son of a farmer, Perrotti worked manual labor jobs before joining the Yale police force and never received the kinds of benefits he currently sees as chief. But while Perrotti recognizes the severity of his officers' contract woes, he would not condone his cops walking off the job. "I think some of them feel [a strike is possible], but I would not have gone on strike as an officer," he said. "People expect their cops to come to work. I took an oath when I took this job, and I would not turn my back on it."

The negotiator

Brian Tunney, Yale's director of labor relations, knows about trial by fire. When he took charge of the University's labor negotiations in 1995, he found himself right in the middle of the Local 34/35 contract battle. "Professionally, it was the best time of my life," he said. "I knew what I was coming into."

Tunney brings to the table a lifetime of negotiating experience. Prior to Yale, Tunney worked for seven years as director of labor relations at Columbia and also spent five years in the New York City Transit Authority.

And Tunney likes his seemingly difficult job--one that requires balancing personal conviction with job responisibility. "Simply, I enjoy this work. At its most simple form, it is people resolving problems," he explained. "Of course you get frustrated, but you have to believe in the process."

More importantly, you have to believe in the client you're representing at the bargaining table--and Tunney believes in Yale. "This place is willing to do the right thing, and I have been comfortable with the decisions that they make," he said. "No one comes and tells me what to do. We work collaboratively, and everyone I work with on the University end is very solid."

As for the police dispute, Tunney voiced frustration about working with a "tighter, more discreet" group than Local 34/35. Yet he refuses to let these frustrations affect his resolve to hold the line. "The YPBA has been frustrating, but it takes what it takes," he said. "Neither side, in any negotiation, wants to rush and make a deal by giving away things that are unreasonable. It's never the right position to just say, `Dammit, let's just get this thing over with.'"

The labor leader

Another seasoned veteran of Yale's labor struggles is Local 35 President Bob Proto. Proto was on the frontlines of Yale's bitter 1996 contract dispute, and he sees similar patterns in Yale's negotiating tactics. In that dispute, the University was fully prepared for the Local 34/35 walkout, countering with a reshuffled workforce and meal stipends for students. With negotiations stuck in neutral, Proto speculates that the University is devoting its energy towards strike preparations--not workable contract proposals.

"I would not be surprised if the University allowed a strike to happen," he said. "In our case, the University was gearing up for a long strike, and for a period before the strike, it was not bargaining in good faith. The same situation could be happening [here]. The fact that the University has let this go on for two years is a sign that it has no interest in settling. Yale feels it can win a war of attrition."

Predictably, Proto is harshly critical of the University's treatment of its police. "If I had a child at Yale, I would be appalled by the University keeping an eye on the bottom line rather than campus safety," he said.

The PR man

It's Tom Conroy's job to counter comments such as Proto's. Yale isn't usually a tough place to sell. But over the past few years, University troubles in dealing with its workforce have posed interesting problems to those whose job it is to protect Yale's image. So how can Yale give its latest labor woes a positive spin?

"I think that many people start from the point that that labor concerns are legitimate, and, thus management finds itself as having a less valid position," Conroy, the acting director of public affairs, said. "But what people have to remember...is that the Yale that negotiates with the police is the Yale that represents the students, staff, faculty, and community--and that the University's goals...are every bit as legitimate."

According to Conroy, Yale's goal in spreading the word about its stance is fairly simple: "We want people to say, `Hey, even if [the police] get two-thirds of their demands, or one-third, they will still have a good job, with a good place to work, with good benefits.'"

A partner in crime

Officer Frank Lombardi, vice president of New Haven Police Union Local 530, knows what Yale cops are going through. His union is currently negotiating for its own contract, which expired on June 30. Further, he knows some of the Yale police officers personally and sympathizes with their plight.

"I'm friends with some of the guys," he said. "Some of us even came on together and went to the same police academy. I think that some of them feel that things are going slowly, that they are dealing with a very rich University. You'd think that such a place would want to take care of the people who provide security."

But even though Lombardi supports the YPBA, he is apprehensive about the YPBA walking off the job. By state law, the New Haven Police Union cannot strike. And even though the YBPA can legally strike, Lombardi doesn't see the benefit of such an option--even if it pushes the envelope with negotiations.

"Frankly, a strike might be a little extreme, especially in a line of work such as security. It's not that great of a tool--it's almost counterproductive," he explained. "There's a public safety issue here. If they went on strike, there are certain people who might take advantage of that situation. How do you justify putting the public at risk?"

The cop

And then there are the officers. It is their contract, their security, and their future. Quite simply, the negotiation process has taken its toll.

"It's been difficult for me personally," Morganti said. "I have two younger kids--my youngest just started school. It's hectic and troublesome to get to some of these negotiating sessions--having to leave my family, find a babysitter. I'm lucky to have a wife who's so understanding."

Yet according to Morganti, the University he works for doesn't share the same understanding as his family. All that remains is tension.

"Personally, at the negotiating table, especially early on, I'd get angry at Yale because they wouldn't recoginze the job we do," he said. "They would counter our offers by saying `No one else gets that.' I don't know if their strategy was to get us angry, but if it was, it worked."

So maybe after 26 months of negotiations, Yale's officers could have imagined this.

Back to News...