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Yale
and unions make a deal—nine months early
May/June 2009
by Mark Alden Branch '86
There
is no one who has had a closer look at Yale's historically dysfunctional labor
relationship than steamfitter Bob Proto. In his 35 years as a Yale employee,
he's participated in seven strikes—and led three of them, as president of Local
35, the university's service and maintenance workers union.
So it
was a red-letter day on April 14 when Proto, at a news conference to announce
agreement on new three-year union contracts with the university, declared,
"Today I'm putting down my strike sign, and I'm carrying a new one." He held up
a sign emblazoned with a peace symbol.
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Union officials described the new contract as a win.
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All
the more remarkable, this peace and the new contract were achieved without even
a hint of public rancor, nine months before the expiration of the previous
contract. By contrast, the last contract in 2003 was approved 20 months after
the previous one had expired, and then only after two strikes totalling four
weeks. "We hope it's the beginning of a truly new chapter in the history of
labor relations here at Yale," said Yale president Richard Levin.
The
change, both sides say, is the result of six years of work developing a
relationship and addressing issues of concern as they arise. "Both sides
shouldn't go off as we used to and keep lists of things we're mad about and
then bring them to the table when it's time for a contract," said Levin.
"That's no way to run an institution. We need to air our problems . . . and
solve them one by one."
The
new contracts take effect in January 2010. Not surprisingly, given the state of
the economy, they include smaller wage increases than the previous ones,
approved in 2003. Having received between 3 and 5 percent raises for the past
eight years, the 1,500 members of Local 35 will get a 2 percent increase in
2010 and 3.25 percent increases in 2011 and 2012. The 3,400 employees in Local
34, the clerical and technical workers union, will have a wage freeze in 2010
(in exchange for some job-security provisions) and 2 percent increases in 2011
and 2012. Local 35 members will continue to have a no-layoffs guarantee, while
those in Local 34 may be laid off but will have expanded access to an interim employment
pool if they are laid off.
Concessions
won by the unions include a promise by Yale to review the classification of
some non-union jobs that perhaps should rightly be part of Local 34, an
assurance that the unions will have jobs on the new West Campus, and improvements
in prescription drug coverage. The university secured a reduction in paid time
off for new Local 34 employees and a requirement that all new union employees
use the Yale Health Plan (rather than traditional health insurance through
Aetna) for their first three years.
Union
officials described the new contract as a win. "In good times this would be a
good contract," said Proto. "In these times it's incredible." Local 34
president Laura Smith emphasized the West Campus agreement, which she said
offers "the promise that as Yale University grows, so will our unions."
The
dais at the celebratory news conference—which, oddly, preceded the actual membership
vote on the contract later that evening—was crowded with university and union
officials and local elected officials eager to be associated with the historic
accord. In the first row was John Wilhelm '67, a former leader of Yale's unions
who is now a leader of their national parent organization, UNITE HERE. Although
Wilhelm said he had little to do with negotiating this agreement, Levin gave
him a kind of credit for inspiring the deal. "Last time around John and I spent
more evenings in the mayor's office face to face staring at each other than
either of us would care to repeat," he said. "We are so glad that we don't have
to do that again." 
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