"We're not yet as concerned as we came to be bythe fall or winter of '92," he added.

The Cast

The union has eight people participating in theongoing negotiations. Four are union officersincluding Williams Jaeger and Kristine Rondeau,director of University organizing for AFSCME(American Federation of State, Country andMunicipal Employees), all three of whom wereheavily involved in the 1992 negotiations.

The administration's negotiating team is led byDirector of Labor Relations Timothy R. Manning whodid not yet work at Harvard during the 1992negotiations.

Also on the administration's negotiating teamis Associate Dean for Human Resources Polly Price.The third member Lianne Sullivan, assistantdirector for labor relations is the onlyadministrative negotiator who was involved in pastnegotiations.

Not Alone

HUCTW is not the only organization to expressunhappiness with the proposed benefits changes.Earlier this year the Faculty of Arts and Sciences(FAS) protested the changes, especially a onepercent reduction to the University's pensioncontribution.

Irate professors spent hours at facultymeetings lambasting the administration for itsproposed changes.

As a result of the uproar, Dean of the FacultyJeremy R. Knowles appointed two professors toexamine the task force's review an unprecedentedmove.

The two professors McKay Professor ofMechanical Engineering Frederick H. Abernathy andGund Professor of Economics and Business RichardE. Caves, criticized the task force's reviewsaying that faculty were not given an opportunityto participate in changes that affect them.

The faculty uproar over benefits led to theformation of a faculty committee on benefitschaired by Professor of Sociology Peter V.Marsden.

The Marsden committee recommended rolling backthe one percent reduction in benefits and imposinga "soft cap" to link the University's contributionto post retirement health care coverage with risesin health care costs.

A standing University-wide Committee onBenefits, consisting of both faculty andadministrators was also formed to serve as an"early-warning" system to examine future benefitschanges for all the University faculties.

However the formation of these committees didnot put the issue to rest.

In late April the Corporation the more powerfulof Harvard's two governing bodies rejected thefaculty's request to roll back the one percentreduction although it did approve the compromiseof a "soft cap."