Yale is threatening to lay off members of Local 34, pointing to a budget "defecit." (Not to be confused with any actual loss of money.) Job Security languuage won by the union last september makes it really costly to lay folks off who've been around more than six years or who are in departments of more than 25 people. A large layoff of C&Ts would be a pretty blatant anti-union gesture given Mr. Pepper's current rhetoric of cooperation and best practices and all that crap Yale will probably drop in two seconds if anyone challenges their power. Local 34 was not consulted about these cuts, which seems like a pretty clear indication of what Yale is thinking. Laura Smith and Bob Proto both suggest that the problem lies in the top-heavy structure of the university's management.

Laura Smith, president of Local 34, which represents the clerical workers, was upset because she said the union has not been brought in to help determine where the cuts can be made.

A big part of the union settlement concerned establishing "best practices" to achieve a working relationship between labor and management to end their long history of bitter disputes. Smith attributed that acrimonious history to a lack of consultation with the union and she said the present situation compounds that.

Both she and Local 35 President Bob Proto said the university should look at management for savings.

"They should take a hard look at their vertical structure and mix. That’s where they’ll find waste and duplication," Proto said.  ¶ 6:27 PM