When Kristine Rondeau first walked into a small Tremont St. labor union office 10 years ago, she was optimistic.

Rondeau, at the time a 23-year-old research assistant at the Medical School, was confident that a clerical and technical union at Harvard would soon be formed. Rondeau is still waiting.

The union--District 65, which is now part of the United Auto Workers (UAW)--had been organizing clerical and technical employees in the Harvard Medical Area since 1974. But, failed union elections, Harvard anti-union campaigns, and high job turnover rates have blocked the establishment of a University clerical and technical union.

After 11 years of organizing, Harvard's 3600 clerical and technical workers--80 percent women--are still without a union. Currently, administrators and faculty are the only other University employees still without a union.

In the past, the union has faced most of its obstacles from the University. Recently, however, internal disputes have hampered the organization's drive.

The latest chapter in the 10-year effort unfolded over the last three weeks. The organizers of the union who have been employed by the UAW, severed their ties with the national union.

The seven-member paid staff, who claimed they were fired by the UAW when leadership split over organizing strategies, have in the meantime formed a new union, called the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers.

The UAW, however, said the local staff left their positions for no obvious reason.

The split came primarily over disagreements over the grass roots organizing stlye favored by Rondeau as opposed to a more rapid proceedure favored by the UAW. Rondeau said her staff had attempted to build an internal organization within Harvard and to work on a "personal basis with Harvard employees." She argued that the UAW was pushing too hard and had not established a solid local foundation.

Back to the Future

Despite the split, both the UAW and the new organization say they will continue activities and both deny they are in competition with eachother. Student activists who will begin meetings this fall to inform students about the union drive have pledged support for the new union.

"I guess I'm having trouble dealing with the concept of two unions," says Barbara D. Rahke, an organizer for the UAW. Rahke, who helped organize Boston University clerical and technical employees into a union that was ratified in 1978, however, says the new union will face problems. For example, the newly formed Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers will not have the funding, collective bargaining expertise and prestige of the UAW behind them, says Rahke.

"By being part of the larger organization you get so much from it. When you say 'UAW', your employer knows what that's all about," says Rahke.

Those on the staff of the new union say they have continued regular meetings with workers, but add that they have not seen UAW organizers. Rahke says the UAW staff is still settling into its Church St. office and that workers have called to learn more about the new staff.

Rondeau says one of the unions will bow out within the next few months. In the meantime, whoever does keep the 11-year-old ball rolling will still have to face the longer standing University opposition.