Powers said union claims that the University is stalling on paying workman's compensation are unfair because officers are sometimes unwilling to discuss how they were injured.

Citing one example, Powers said, "That officer has refused to answer questions regarding that incident. Insurance companies investigate all of their claims, and we have to investigate all claims for workman's comp."

Mercier said the only issue on which Johnson has taken action is the abolishment of a 35 mph speed limit for officers responding to a priority one emergency. He said that move came only after five months of requests.

Nearly one month ago the union sent a letter detailing its grievances to Steiner, Johnson's immediate superior. Mercier said Steiner has not responded to the union's complaints.

The Court Case

The court case filed by the union involves what it calls the University's failure to observe binding arbitration, a stipulation of the policemen's contract.

In a case last June, an arbiter ruled that an officer who had been fired for using excessive force should be fully reinstated with back pay.

Instead, said Mercier, "He is working as a civilian dispatcher, and is not allowed to work overtime because he is not a police officer."

J. Richard Radcliffe, an associate at Zisson and Veara, the firm representing the union, said, "At the Harvard-Dartmouth game he was the only officer without overtime, yet he has seniority over officers who were assigned overtime."

According to Radcliffe, Harvard has not officially addressed itself to the union's complaints and asked yesterday for more time to respond to the suit.

No date has been set for the case, which will be heard in federal district court.

James S. Rubin contributed to the reporting of this article.