Alyssa T. Yamamoto ‘12 joins fellow students and union workers in protesting against Harvard laying off workers in front of the Holyoke Center yesterday afternoon.

CORRECTION APPENDED

Over 100 demonstrators gathered yesterday to protest what they said was the University’s apparent lack of response to the anti-layoffs campaign.

The latest in a series of anti-layoff rallies organized by the Harvard Student Labor Action Movement, yesterday’s Festival for Worker Justice attracted a diverse crowd of protesters. SLAM members convened on the Science Center lawn just after 4:00 P.M. Hoisting signs and megaphones, they marched through the Yard to the Holyoke Center, where they joined forces with Harvard workers, Harvard Law School students, and other undergraduates.

There, the enthusiastic crowd of protesters marched in a circle while chanting slogans, beating paint-can drums, and shaking home-made rattlers. Many waved signs emblazoned with slogans such as “Workers Sustain Harvard!” and “Layoffs Are NOT the New Crimson!”

After chants of “They say layoff, we say back off!” and “Si se puede!” subsided, union organizers stepped into the middle of the ring to speak out against layoffs.

Many described the vital nature of their responsibilities to the Harvard community and the financial necessity of keeping their jobs. Others cited the University’s sizable endowment as more than enough to keep on paying workers.

“The wealthiest university in the world should not be asking the lowest paid workers to bear the burden of the financial crisis,” said Lutjens, a former Service Employees International Union organizer and a current student at the Law School. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Remeike J.B. Forbes ’11, a current SLAM member, said that students may not understand the full implications of labor cuts.

“All the tasks workers are doing today [will be] done by less workers,” he said. “It places it beyond a simple issue of finances and makes it a human rights issue.”

The Festival for Worker Justice is part of SLAM’s recent “Greed is the New Crimson” campaign. Last week, SLAM members approached University President Drew G. Faust with a letter outlining their concerns and requesting a meeting with the Harvard Corporation, the University’s highest governing body.

SLAM members also advertised their cause in Annenberg earlier this week with banners and pamphlets. One banner, reading “Greed is the New Crimson. No Layoffs!” made another appearance at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences town hall budgeting meeting on Tuesday.

While FAS has not explicitly said layoffs will occur, it has not yet ruled them out. In an e-mail statement, University spokesman John D. Longbrake stated that Harvard has recognized the concerns raised in SLAM’s letter and that “Harvard takes seriously its responsibility as a major employer.”

“Compensation costs account for nearly half of our operating budget,” he wrote. “[It] is increasingly likely that Harvard...will have to make changes to the size of its workforce.”

Pleased with the high turnout and energy at the rally, SLAM member Alyssa M. Aguilera ’08-’09 expressed optimism about the campaign.

“You can never be certain how the University will respond,” she said. “But right now, we want to make sure they know that this is something that means a lot to people on campus, and that it’s not going to be a one time act.”

CORRECTION

The April 17 news article "SLAM Protests Staff Layoff" incorrectly attributed a quotation to "Lutjens." In fact, the quote was from Lela M. Klein, a former Service Employees International Union organizer and a current student at the Law School.