"The University basically continues to violate the contract that it signed with the union, by continuing to employ people on a part-time payroll at full-time levels, or for extended periods of time," added Will W. Erickson '00-'01, a member of Harvard's Living Wage Campaign and an employee of HUCTW.

Jaeger said this week's statement is intended to raise awareness and rouse support for the union's efforts in a fuller way than last week's statement could.

"We had a longer, fuller story we wanted to tell about all the philosophical angles and moral implications of this issue," Jaeger said.

The University statement, he added, was negotiated under conditions that constrained its content.

"The text was negotiated carefully, word-by-word, and I think that had a cautious tone," he said. "It could only provide as much information as the union and University could agree on the wording of."

Merry D. Touborg, the university spokesperson for labor issues, said she had not yet seen a copy of the HUCTW letter and could not comment on it.