Most workers don't ask too much of their union. They just ask that the union communicate with them, help them to make informed decisions, and ultimately that the union represent their views and interests. Sadly, many of Harvard's custodial workers are learning that even these basic understandings and rights are not guaranteed.

On September 25, 1996, a day that many custodial workers will be unable to forget, Harvard's Custodial Workers Union approved a contract "which many employees said they had not seen in its entirety." The new contract slashes many of the hard earned benefits that workers have fought for over the years. Employees will receive no raises (until negotiations resume in July of 1998), employee sick days are reduced from 15 to 10, even employee vacation time is reduced. In exchange, the contract offers some insignificant part-time concessions.

As unhappy as they are about the contract, employees are even more disappointed with the dismal representation that the union provided for them. The union gave the workers just 45 minutes to read and vote on a summary of the contract. Citing the high number of employees from third-world countries, one employee complained that 45 minutes just was not enough. The same employee, whose name is protected for confidentiality, suggested that the union intentionally rammed the contract down the throats of the workers. Other employee gripes included, "[The union representative] didn't explain the whole contract to us," and "She slipped it by us."

In my eyes, the tragedy is not merely the unfair contract but the manipulation and the lack of respect that the union demonstrated. It is unacceptable. Moreover, I am disappointed with Harvard University itself, for without Harvard's consent or prodding, none of this would be going on. Harvard is supposed to be a lighthouse of moral excellence, an example for others--not a place where the working class is exploited and degraded by those in power. --Mawi H. Asgedom '99