It’s Labor Day; the clerical and technical workers of Yale

are on strike; and I’m remembering Yale’s labor negotiations

in 1988. The two sides were working around the clock to finish a contract.

I was president of the student government, and the union asked me

and a bunch of other neutral representatives to observe—to make

sure that both sides were bargaining in good faith. Since the University

opposed the idea of observers, I sat on the union’s side of the room.

I was personally sympathetic to that side and have since written

favorably about organized labor; but I was carefully neutral as

a student leader. I think that the University’s negotiators deliberately

ignored me (not that I minded).

I remember that at about 2 am, the two sides took a long break. I

went home for a nap and asked a union guy to call me when they were

ready to start again. He called several hours later, and I asked to

be excused because I was too sleepy to get back out of bed. I’m embarrassed

that he made the call for no purpose.

Both sides complained about the cost of labor lawyers and their billing

practices. I also remember the union identifying slackness and idleness

in certain specific departments on campus that were staffed by their

own members. They blamed management for poor oversight, but their

motive was to save Yale money—so that the University wouldn’t

"outsource" union jobs as another way to reduce costs. This

is an example of collective-bargaining serving both sides.

I’m not sure why Yale has a uniquely bad strike record.

Part of the reason may be that the Yale unions are extremely well

run, strategic, motivated, and deeply supported by the community.

Even though they are in a position to demand higher-than-average wages,

Yale resists paying much above the mean. The bargaining power of Yale

employees is unusual, for only 13 percent of private-sector workers

are unionized, and some of those face such intense competition from

non-union shops that they have to make concessions constantly. In

my view, the Yale locals are right to exploit their unusual power

(which they created themselves, and which other workers should also

enjoy). Yale should face reality and pay considerably higher-than-average

wages.