Nearly 3000 workers may strike in an attempt to shut down Yale University unless the clerical and technical worker's union and the administration agree to a contract by Tuesday night.

Negotiations continued all weekend but the two sides seem to remain far apart on several key issues. While a settlement is still possible. Yale is bracing for a strike and has pledged to continue all teaching and research.

But normal operations will probably cease, as the university has drawn up contingency plans in case of a strike. Library hours will be reduced, and all but one of the dining halls will be shut down. Students who are forced to eat at local restaurants will be reimbursed from their board charges.

"The primary mission of the university will continue to be educating and graduating students, with the secondary objective of continuing all ongoing research." Yale General Counsel Lindsey Kiang said Friday.

The Negotiations

Negotiations between the university and Local 34 of the Federation of University Employees have dragged on since October, but tensions have mounted since the workers voted two weeks ago to strike if no agreement was reached by last Wednesday.

The union extended the strike deadline twice when progress was made on some issues after two federal mediators entered the process last Monday. But it is holding firm that tomorrow's deadline is final. Union officials say the strike threat forced Yale to bargain in good faith.

"Up until recently the university has had no interest in bargaining, and now they know that all eyes are on them." Local 34 organizer Anne L. Bracker said last week.

Before the federal mediator entered the negotiations, some faculty members attended the bargaining sessions as guests of the union after the university refused to allow them as impartial observers. One professor who asked not to be identified said of the negotiations he saw. "The union was interested in negotiating and the administration was not. It was almost a large."

If Local 34's roughly 1800 members do strike at 5 a.m. Wednesday morning they will be joined by the 975 maintenance and dining hall workers in the same union's local 35.

In Cambridge, Harvard officials and union leaders are keeping an eye on the current negotiations because they say while the two universities, differ in structure and policy, many issues being negotiated are common to every major school.

In recent years many universities, including Harvard have had to deal with increasing activism among clerical and technical workers, payroll and loan clerks, library aides, secretaries, lab technicians and assistants, and others.

For a decade the United Auto Workers has been trying to organize clerical and technical workers in Harvard's Medical Area, a drive which has been two close elections and has been strongly opposed by the University.

Kristine Rondeau, a Harvard UAW organizer, said. "We've been talking to them and obviously we're in support of them." "She added that her union had been informally involved in the Yale negotiations but refused to detail the nature of their support.

University Vice-President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54, who oversees labor relations at Harvard, said he was keeping abreast of developments in New Haven because, "we generally look at what employee relations issues exist at all universities."