UMass Strike

University of Massachusetts faculty and administrators agreed Friday evening to select an outside mediator following a two-day walkout at its Columbia Point and Arlington campuses that halted classes Wednesday and Thursday.

Abraham J. Siegel, dean of Sloan School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, confirmed last night that he will mediate the October 16 contract talks and added he is optimistic about the outcome.

Jo Anne Preston, a spokesman for the Faculty Staff Union (FSU), said yesterday the Union remains pessimistic about settlement. "The mediator has been chosen, but the conditions have not been agreed to by the FSU," she said.

Although the faculty has resumed teaching, there is a good chance they will hold further demonstrations next week, Preston said.

Howard White, a spokesman for UMass president James E. Knapp, refused to comment on the effect further demonstrations would have on negotiations. "The administration has been acting in good faith since the beginning. A great many issues have been solved, but we are still deadlocked on a few," he said Friday.

The selection of an arbitrator followed a two-day work stoppage that cancelled an estimated 75 per cent of classes at both university campuses.

Salary distribution, personnel policies for part-time faculty and librarians, and retroactive settlements of grievance procedures are issues in the talks.