Yale graduate students go on strike

and SHELLEY TABOR Yale University graduate students went on strike Monday morning, after failing to reach an agreement with administrators last weekend. The walkout is expected to end tomorrow. The 9 a.m. strike came on the heels of a contract settlement between local unions and university officials, reached early Monday. Members of Locals 34 and 35, made up of clerical, food service and other workers, will vote tomorrow whether or not to accept the new contract. Some of the union members are participating in the strike to show support for the students' cause. Graduate Employee and Student Organization spokesperson Gordon Lafer said graduate students are fighting for collective bargaining rights, less expensive health insurance fees, and an impartial grievance procedure. "What we're doing is bargaining over both employment and academic issues," Lafer said. "We're not demanding exclusivity but a written agreement with the university that would set down T.A. salaries." But Yale spokesperson Martha Matzke insisted that administrators and students are on the same side. "There are significant concerns of graduate students that GESO has made aware and that's good," she said. "But the primary responsibility of the University is to prepare them for distinguished academic careers." But Lafer said the impasse is not about money or other complexities but about the administration's unwillingness to share its power with the students. "The university does not have an employer-employee relationship with [the graduate students]," Matzke said. "They will not be recognized as a formal labor union." Approximately 1,400 employees honored the picket lines on Monday. Most dining halls were closed and nearly all classes taught by graduate students were cancelled. Professors who chose not to cross the picket lines held classes in nearby locations, such as churches or local movie houses. Matzke said negotiations were ongoing and that by Thursday administrators expected everything to be back to normal. "By tomorrow, I think [the visible level of activity] will hardly exist," Matzke said. But Lafer said the strike could last longer. "[GESO] is having a meeting Wednesday night to decide whether or not to extend the strike," he said. Undergraduate students have been hard hit by the strike. Students said they have had to cope with several inconveniences, including long lines at area restaurants. Yale freshman Eric Halpern said there has been some confusion because of classroom changes. "[But] it hasn't really affected class too much as far as I'm concerned," he added. Halpern said he had originally supported the idea of a graduate student union, but some of their tactics have changed his mind. "I thought it would not be unreasonable for them to form a labor union," he said. "But I know a lot of people who are very bitter towards GESO." Halpern said GESO members recently disrupted a lecture by striking through the classroom. He added that he feels GESO support from undergraduates is eroding quickly. According to Matzke, "There is increasing dissatisfaction on the campus with what [GESO is] doing this week." "The group has turned from substance to politics," Matzke continued. "I think until that stops, they will be seen as disrupters rather than positive forces." University graduate students said that they supported the Yale students' efforts to increase their voice in the Yale administration. "I'm really impressed at how they've kept this going," Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Vice Chair for Policy Susan Garfinkel said. "They're not discouraged and they are working well with the affiliated unions." She added that University graduate students will be watching the Yale situation closely to see how it is played out. GAPSA Chairperson Michael Goldstein said he hopes the University will learn that strikes can be avoided with appropriate graduate involvement in administrative decisions. "I wish [the students] lots of luck," he said. "Everyone here would still hope for a quick resolution for both parties involved, and we hope it will be resolved well and reasonably."