Suit May Follow Charge Of Anti-Union Harassment

A University Health Services (UHS) employee who said his supervisor harassed him for his support for the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW) is considering legal action against the University.

John Principato, a UHS laboratory assistant, said last week he is contacting an attorney because the administration has not acknowledged complaints he lodged in April. Principato, worked in the bacteriology department for five years, said his supervisor continues to harass him.

Principato complained to the administration after his supervisor questioned him about his union involvement prior to the May 17 support staff union election. Federal labor laws prohibit employers from asking employees whether or not they intend to vote for a union and harassing employees for their union support. Principato went to the administration with that complaint, and also with charges that his supervisor had been harassing him for more than a year.

According to Principato, his supervisor, Carol Wotschak, the chief medical technologist at UHS, has been putting his mail into a specimen box containing human excrement every day for the past year. Wotschak could not be reached for comment.

"There are 13 people in my lab. I was the only one getting my mail dumped into that filthy box," said Principato. "I was the only one wearing aunion button too. I don't know if that's why shedid it, but I was the only one."

Another employee in the bacteriologydepartment, who requested anonymity, said Wotschakwas "frequently malicious to John," and confirmedthe fact that Principato's mail had been tamperedwith.

On May 10 the University printed a publicapology for labor law violations, which cited aUHS employee. Principato said the apology refersto his case, but he added that his othercomplaints, regarding the mail, have not beenaddressed.

The administration told Principato that theywould speak with his supervisor and that he wouldreceive an official letter of apology. But he saidHarvard has not done enough to stop theharassment.

"They did talk with her about the union stuff.They dealt with what might hurt them. But I'mbeing hurt, too, and they haven't dealt withthat," Principato said.

Mary Opperman, the supervisor of staffrelations to whom Principato took his complaint,said the grievances are under investigation now,but such fact-finding can take up to severalmonths. "We are aware of his allegations. I takethem very seriously, and we have set up a systemto investigate his claims. That is happening rightnow."

Principato said his supervisor continues toharass him "by talking about me around the officeand accusing me of breaking things I didn't break,and things like that."

Because of the success of a former FacilitiesMaintenance employee, Charlottee Walters, who won$75,000 from Harvard in part for its failure toaddress her grievances, Principato has contactedthe lawyer who handled that case.

The attorney, Wendy Kaplan, was unwilling tocomment on the case because she said it wouldviolate client confidentiality