Last year, Albert Carnesale's head was a common sight in Harvard Yard.

Throughout the cold winter months, protesters representing the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW) circled outside Mass. Hall hoisting cutouts of the former provost's head on sticks. At the time, workers were protesting the University's proposed cuts in health care benefits for part-time employees.

This spring, HUCTW celebrates its 10th anniversary with cakes and a pageant, but perhaps the union's biggest anniversary gift may be its increasingly positive relationship with the University.

In March, the union and the University inked a contract extension good through 2001, well ahead of the negotiation deadline.

Union and University officials alike credit the increased cooperation to the negotiating skills of Timothy R. Manning, who served as Harvard's director of labor relations until January.

"The extension was a surprise twist...it has led a lot of people to feel that now we're coming into a second flowering of possibilities for innovative, positive union management at Harvard," says William Jaeger, director of HUCTW.

Although representatives of both groups say they are optimistic about the current situation, they are quick to note that the relationship is likely to change.

Manning's departure leaves the tone, if not the substance, of future labor negotiations up for grabs.

Furthermore, union officials say that even though present disputes have been resolved, they have concerns which they wish to address with the University in the future.

"I wouldn't want to give the blithe impression that this is just a sweet or simple time between the union and the University," Jaeger says.

"We're treating this as an urgent, serious time, even though it's peace time in terms of there not being any big negotiating battles."

The New Deal

Although HUCTW representatives say they are planning for the future, they say they are proud of the contract agreement they signed in March.

Much of the recent goodwill between the unionand the University is a consequence of the recentcontract extension deal.

The extension includes salary increases of 4.5percent a year on average, more time off aroundthe December holidays and a month of paid leavefor new fathers and adoptive parents.

The catalyst for this negotiation was Manning'sdeparture.