Third day of strike ends with arrest of union chief

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Striking Yale university workers forced arriving freshmen and their parents to cross noisy picket lines Friday and blocked major intersections near the school, prompting police to arrest 83 people.

John Wilhelm, head of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International union, joined campus service and clerical workers in the third day of a strike seeking better pay and pensions and was among those arrested.

The demonstration was peaceful, and those picked up for blocking the streets were charged with disorderly conduct.

"I hope this will move us toward a very speedy settlement of our contract," said Mary Kilton, an employee in the school's policy department, who was among those arrested.

Freshmen and their parents hauled duffel bags, suitcases, computers, mini refrigerators and other items past chanting strikers wearing "Welcome to Yale" signs around their necks.

"I hope they realize when they send their children to Yale that it's a great place to get an education, but it's not a great place to work," said striker Mary Amendola, an administrative assistant at the medical school.

Freshman Esther Quintana said she found the pickets "intimidating."

"The older kids are telling us to form our own opinions about this strike and what we want to believe," she said. "But we don't really know what to do."

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, who graduated from Yale in 1971, was among the parents dropping a child off Friday. His daughter, Anne, is starting her second year at Yale.

At a rally with students, strikers and Dean supporters, the former Vermont governor recalled how he and other students tried to shut down Yale's power plant during a strike.

"The struggle was the same then as it is now," Dean said. "The truth is, what is needed in this country more than anything is economic justice."

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. is hoping to resume talks with Yale officials and union leaders, but when that might happen is unclear.

The union workers have been on the job without a contract since January 2002.

The unions also staged a five-day strike in March; strikes have preceded eight of the last 10 contracts.

Police Chief Francisco Ortiz Jr. said officers had expected acts of civil disobedience but not so early in the strike.

Yale officials say their latest six-year contract offer to the workers is generous, with pay raises of 3 percent to 5 percent, pension benefit increases and signing bonuses of $500 to $1,500 for employees. The unions want more substantial raises and larger pension benefits.

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