Around the Negotiating Table

When food service workers union boss Domenic M. Bozzotto sits down to negotiate with Harvard, he faces someone whose personal style, as well as his administrative role, differs sharply from his. While Bozzotto likes to publicize his negotiating stance, and sees negotiations in general as an adversarial process. Harvard labor negotiator Edward W. Powers feels that media scrutiny makes contract talks more difficult, and he claims both sides are best served by cooperation between management and labor.

A recent episode involving asbestos insulation in Harvard's dining halls illustrates this contrast Powers was disturbed by two Union officials' tour of Harvard kitchens last week in search of holes and tears in elastic lining sealing asbestos insulation on pipes. He was also unhappy that the union released its findings to campus newspapers instead of pursuing its complaint through management channels, which the union officials believe are too slow.

In response to another incident Tuesday, in which the same union officials went into an area closed to the public to take photographs of several holes in pipe lining releasing what they believed to be asbestos dust while attending to an unrelated union business matter. Powers barred all Local 26 officials from the University campus without his prior permission and an official Harvard escort

"We don't understand [the union officials] going to the newspapers because we thought this was being dealt with constructively." Powers said last week

Powers more relaxed view of ideal union-management relations may actually be the cause of some of his conflicts with the union. Powers notes that, in his first meeting--and only meeting to date--with Bozzotto, the union president criticized Power's relationships with former union officials which he believes were too cordial.

Powers says that Bozzotto's belief that these friendly relations compromised the officials' representation of the union is partially responsible for Bozzotto's current hostility.

In fact, Bozzotto admits that he is suspicious of the dedication of two former union leaders who accepted management positions from union employers soon after they were defeated for reelection One of those leaders is former union Vice-President Fred Walden who now holds a management position with Harvard food services.

Powers, however, defends Walden's promotion. He says that if Walden had remained in his job, instead of taking a three-year to hold his full-time union position, he would have been promoted anyway. "We weren't going to discriminate against him just because of his union work," Powers adds.

Bozzotto also suggests that while the union leaders were in office, they were closer to Powers than to their membership. Because of this alliance. Powers "never took the union seriously," Bozzotto says. "Powers was playing tennis with the vice-president of the union during negotiations."

Powers denies Bozzotto's charges "The fact that my relations with other labor union leaders are cordial and business-like doesn't mean we're in bed together." Powers says, "I don't play tennis: I've never played tennis in my entire life," he adds.

Powers is not above putting pressure on union leaders and workers. His most effective means of doing this is through considering subcontracting Harvard's food services to a private catering agency which pays its workers less than the University. Effectively, subcontracting the whole system would amount to laying off all food service workers. Powers asks whether Harvard should pay so much extra money for maintaining its own food system. He takes out a calculator and quickly computes what he says is a conservative estimate of how much the University would save through subcontracts--$1 million.

The system of maintaing union help does have benefits for Harvard. "We're not just being good guys by running a union operation." Powers says, pointing out that there is a very low turnover among the University's food service workers. The pleasant atmosphere a permanent staff generates. Powers notes, is particularly important to undergraduates and the house system.

"So far, it's been worth it," says Powers. With another quick calculation, he announces that the extra cost of union help translates into only about $150 per Harvard undergraduate.

But Powers says that contracting out is still a threat he can use against the food workers union if their wage demands grow too high.

Powers adds that he is partially sympathetic to Bozzotto's cause. Powers was at one time a union organizer and he says his father helped unionize General Motors. He also notes that, like Bozzotto, he was active in the civil rights and anti-war movements. "You know, politically, we're not that different," Powers says.

And Powers predicts that his relationship with Bozzotto will improve over time and evolve to be more "business-like." "I think it will happen if he stays in office," Powers says. "He'll come around."

Powers on Bozzotto

Powers says his relationship with Bozzotto will gradually improve. "I think it will happen if he stays in office. He'll come around."

"I don't play tennis; I've never played tennis in my entire life."

"The fact that my relations with other labor union leaders are cordial and business- like doesn't mean we're in bed together."