Good Faith

FOR THE LAST NINE MONTHS the patrolmen of the Harvard University Police Department have been negotiating with the University for a new contract. That is not a particularly long time for Harvard to be involved in a labor dispute, but in this case it is long enough.

The patrolmen's central demand is a new work schedule which would give them two days off for every four days on. They now get two days off for every five days of work. While the details of this proposal still need to be worked out, it is certainly a reasonable position. Work schedules based on a four-and-two ratio have been adopted at a variety of university and municipal police departments in the area. In addition the patrolmen's union has expressed a willingness to compromise on a number of pay and benefit issues in order to reach agreement over the work schedule.

Harvard officials, however, have called the union's bargaining positions "outrageous" and have refused to consider the four-and-two proposal. Harvard's stall tactics should come as no surprise; the University has a long history of failing to negotiate promptly or in good faith with its employees. In addition to stonewalling, Harvard negotiator Edward Powers has threatened to withdraw retroactive wage increases that are often granted employees working under an interim contract after a new contract is approved. The University seems determined to force the union to give into its demands.

Harvard has been intransigent with the patrolmen before. When the union filed a grievance last year about the restriction of an officer's duties, the University did not respond until forced into binding arbitration. The federal arbitrator declared that the union's grievance was reasonable and found in its favor.

The Harvard patrolmen do a good job protecting all of us. Under contract provisions which are standard for police unions, the patrolmen are barred from striking, picketting or taking job actions which would threaten the public safety. All they can do is bargain with the University in good faith. Harvard should do the same.