Labor Activists Stage Three Teach-Ins

More than 30 student activists evaded Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers and staged three consecutive "teach-ins" to argue for a living wage yesterday morning, disrupting administrators in Mass Hall, the Harvard Office of Labor Relations and the University Development Office.

Supporters of the campaign, which demands a minimum $10 per hour wage for all Harvard employees, stormed into each office with a prepared presentation of graphs, charts and worker testimonies. When HUPD officers arrived, the protesters dispersed, met again at a prearranged spot and moved on to the next target.

The Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) spearheads both the living wage and the anti-sweatshop campaigns, but most activism so far this year, both nationally and at Harvard, has centered around sweatshop policy.

Yesterday's action, coinciding with an ongoing three-day sit-in at Johns Hopkins University, was the first in several months for the living wage campaign.

"It kept us visible and reasserted the goals of the living wage campaign," said Roona Ray '02, a PSLM member.

But most administrators said the demonstration was ineffective.

"Invading someone's workplace is not an appropriate way to make yourself heard," said Jacqueline A. O'Neill, Mass Hall's staff director.

They said the protesters hurt those they were trying to help, by preventing clerical and staff workers from going about their business

"It's obviously disruptive to workers," said Thomas P. Reardon, vice president for alumni affairs and development. "They shouldn't be coming in here unannounced."

Some staff members, however, said they agreed with the students' tactics and goals.

"I've been following their campaign, and I support them," said Joseph J. Donnelly Jr., associate director of stewardship in the Development Office.

The administration has taken the position that it will not consider implementing a living wage until after an ad-hoc Faculty Committee, convened last spring to study Harvard's labor policy, presents its findings.

The group's head, D. Quinn Mills, Weatherhead professor of business administration, met with PSLM members last week to discuss the committee's report, expected to be released in the spring.

He said he was unsure what effect the protests would have.

During yesterday's teach-in, PSLM members said Harvard should move faster to enact a living wage.

"We thought we'd encourage the process by educating and informing you about the issues," PSLM member Neha Mahajan '02 told administrators.

The living wage campaign gave the same presentation at all three locations.

The group incorporated a variety of tactics. Members held up charts, including a bar graph almost 30 feet long that compared the wage of a law school cafeteria worker with that of a Harvard Corporation fund manager. The bar representing the cafeteria worker's salary was less than an inch long while the fund manager's stretched for about 28 feet.

PSLM members also read a series of quotations by anonymous workers calling for higher wages, and PSLM member Amy C. Offner '01 read a statement condemning Harvard's labor policy.

"Poverty at this University would not be so shameful if it wasn't so needless," she said.

The presentation concluded with a pop quiz for administrators.

PSLM members gathered at Phillips Brooks House at 9:30 a.m. yesterday to discuss final plans for the teach-ins and run through a dress rehearsal of the demonstration.

At about 10:15 a.m. the activists entered Mass Hall, but administrators immediately locked their doors, preventing anyone from entering their offices.

They said the measure was designed to contain the demonstration.

"We wanted to minimize the disruption, so that's why we closed the doors and isolated the protest," Vice President and General Counsel Anne Taylor said.

PSLM members gathered in the main corridor, clapping and chanting, "Come on out!"

They ultimately decided to carry on with the protest despite the locked doors, joking about the absence of Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine.

When protesters shouted questions to the absent Rudenstine, one quipped, "I'm not hearing anything," and another said, "How many lifelines does he have left?"

About five minutes into the demonstration, two HUPD officers arrived. They were followed closely by more officers and Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth '71, who hurried across the Yard when he heard of the demonstration over the phone.

"Basically, the person [on the phone] said, 'There are people here,' so I hung up the phone and came right over," he said.

But the officers and Illingworth chose not to interrupt the protesters, and the students left Mass Hall at the end of the demonstration, about 15 minutes after entering.

After dispersing and reconvening at Ma Soba, the demonstrators rode up the elevators of Holyoke Center to the sixth floor Office of Labor Relations.

Unlike at Mass Hall, the protesters were able to meet with administrators, as their entry coincided with a senior staff meeting.

Associate Vice President for Human Resources Polly Price met the protesters at the door of the conference room.

She said their actions were "uncalled for" and "inappropriate," as she had met with members of PSLM last week.

The arrival of HUPD officers, the same officers who had met with the protesters at Mass Hall, prevented the PSLM members from concluding their demonstration.

Again the protesters scattered, this time meeting again in front of the Mt. Auburn post office.

From there, they crossed the street and at about 11:30 a.m. entered the fourth floor University Development Office.

Unlike Mass Hall and Holyoke Center, the office had not witnessed any prior demonstrations.

"We've never had anything like it happen in this office before," Donnelly said. "It's a new experience."

The HUPD officers arrived once more, and allowed the protesters to continue their demonstration before evicting them from the building.

HUPD Chief Francis D. "Bud" Riley said the protests never escalated to the point of arrest.

"[It] hasn't been considered," he said. "There have been no actions that have risen to that level."

Ray said PSLM members did not want to risk confrontation with the police.

"Our tactics are always to go when the police officers tell you to," she said. "We just wanted to get out as much info as possible"

The HUPD officers called to the three teach-ins remained in good humor, bantering with PSLM members.

"Guys, how about taking a break between 12 and 1?" asked one officer after the third and final demonstration.