THE TUFTS DAILY Where You Read It First Tuesday, March 29,1994 Vol XXVIII, Number 38 ICALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT! Custodial employees allege that university issued an ultimatum by JOHN O’KEEFE that administratorshave issued an Working for the subcontractor Daily Editonal Board ultimatum to employees which presents financial difficulties to Negotiations are continuing gives the custodians two options: manyB&Gemployeeswho would between university officials and either go to work for the subcon- likely be forced to take a dramatic members of Local 254 of the Ser- tractor, known as UNICO, which cut in pay and benefits, he said. He vice Employees International currently cleans theTufts Admin- added that the use of subcontrac- Union, which represents Tufts cus- istration Building (TAB), or go on tors should be of concern to the todians. According to Vice Presi- strike. students wholive in residencehalls dent of Operations John Roberto, The worker added that nego- because of the security issues a meeting was held last Friday tiators have given the union mem- which can result from the instabil- with representatives from both bers a May 1 deadline to decide ity of thecontract and the workers. parties present. whether to accept aproposal which Roberto confirmed that the would allow thecustodial employ- lot of other universities in meeting was held but refused to ees to begin working for the sub- the area use subcontractors, but comment on the specifics of the contractor.Kobertoretusedtocon- they usually bring in the negotiations. firm or deny the details, but stated tractors though gradu- “It would be inappropriate for that the university had tendered a ally replacing retiring union em- me to comment at this time,” proposal totheunion which“wou1d ployees with subcontractors,”,the Robertosaid.Heprefacedhisstate- go into effect on or around May worker said. ment by saying that negotiations 1.” However, he did not elaborate between the university and the on the proposal. union regarding the custodial con- According to the employee, the “The feel that the tract, which expires on June 30, university set the deadline at May university is holding a gun to our are ongoing. I because the administration is heads and that they are not bar- Robertodidsaythattheadmin- legally obligated to give its em- gaining in good faith with us,” he istration is “continuing to bargain ployees 60 days notice if they do said. in good faith” with the custodial not intend to renew a contract. employees and said that Opera- Therefore, if the workers refuse to tions was “prepared to respond to accept the proposal, their only re- theirconcerns.”Healsoconfirmed course will be to strike and the that future meetings have been contract withtheuniversity will be Daily file photo I planned. allowed to expire, he said. I Is this a rescue mission to save a small kitten UD in the tree? According to a custodian for “The university believes that it Buildings and Grounds (B&G) will be better served, financially, who wished toremain anonymous, to have a professional cleaning Petition circulating to the university has informed union service. They say that they can’t negotiatorsthat it “no longer wants effectively deal with managing,” to be in the hsixss of cleaning” the worker said. support jan rial sta#and that it is “ineffective for [the by JESSICA ROSENTHAL Curry added that she Jrafied a administration] to oversee custo- According to the worker, “As it Daily Editorial Board cover letter to accompany the pe- dial work.” stands, our only ability to [con- A petition is currently being tition, whichwillbemailedtoVice To that end, Tufts is consider- tinue working at Tufts] is to go to circulated oncampus in support of President of Operations John ing the possibility of subcontract- work for UNICO. However, the Tufts’ present custodial staff and Roberto with a copy sent to Direc- ing all custodial work on its three membership doesn’t want to work DabFile Photo opposingthepossiblesubcontract- tor of B&G Ed Gilbert. campuses. The worker asserted for UNICO.” John Roberto ing of the janitorial work on the The petition was developed three Tufts campuses, an action with suggestions from her resi- which would result in the termina- dents, Curry said. She explained Violence in Gaza Strip may be a tion of the employees’ positions. that this is “a residential issue” Aletter wasdistributed onFeb. and many of her residents were 28 to the Buildings and Grounds upset about it, “SO [she] was in- threat to Israel-PLO peace talks (B&G) staff, stating that “the uni- spired to write a petition.” JABALIYA REFUGEE A seventh Palestinian and two to meet in Cairo on Tuesday to versity is considering subcontract- She stressed the importance of CAMP, OccupiedGaza Strip (AP) bystanders were wounded, wit- continueeffortstorestartthe talks, ing all or virtually all of the work this issue, saying that “every single -- Israeli undercover troops killed nesses, said. The army reported but their efforts were jeopardized now done by custodians” on the resident is affected by it.” Curry six senior members of the PLO’s only two wounded. by the continuing violence. Medford, Boston, and ’ Grafton explained her reasoning behind military wing in a Gaza shootout Afterthe shootout,Fatah called Thereport of thepulloutprepa- campuses. the petition and said that “I’m do- Monday, violence that could for major confrontations with the rations coincided with comments Thepetition, whichopposesthe ing this because I think there’s a threaten attempts to restart Israel- army on Tuesday and a three-day made by Foreign Minister Shimon subcontracting of the jobs, was lot of concern over the issue, but PLO peace tafks. mourning strike: “We must make Peres, who said Monday that an written by senior Robin Curry, a no one is quite sure who’s doing In a sign of Israeli determina- the land bum underneath the feet autonomy agreement could be Residential Assistant (RA) in what.” tion to move forward with au- of the Israeli soldiers,” blared wrapped up by mid-April and be Tilton Hall. The petition states, She added that she felt the pri- tonomy, however, Israel television Fatah trucks with loudspeakers. followed by a speedy troop pull- “We, the undersigned, are opposed mary concern of the students was said the army will be ready to pull Fatah, like the larger Palestin- out from Gaza and Jericho. to the proposal of subcontracting that“strangers willbeinthedorms, out of Gaza by April 14. ian community, is split over the On the eve of resuming talks custodial services here at Tufts because we know our” current The shootout between the Pal- issue of restarting talks in the wake see VIOLENCE, page 8 University.” custodial staff. estiniansandsoldiers left the high- of the massacre. Negotiators were Curry said she wrote the peti- Curry said that all of the resi- est one-day death toll in the occu- tion as an individual student, not dents on her hall have signed the pied lands since the Feb. 25 mas- Forum will discuss hazardous in her capacity as an RA, and the petition, and she has collected an- sacre at a Hebron mosque that petition is not associated with the proximately 50 signatures. Addi- killed 30. chemicals and reproduction Residential Life or Housing Of- see PE,I’I’,,ION, page The army said the six dead were fices. senior members of the Fatah A forum entitled “Our Uncertain Future: Chemicals, Human Hawks, the military wing of Yasser Health, and the Environment” will be held tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. in Arafat’s mainstream PLO organi- Cabot Auditorium. Inside zation. They were still sought by The forum, co-sponsored by the Tufts University Department of Features ......................... -p. 5 the army despite the PLO-Israel Urban and EnvironmentalPolicy and theFletcher School of Law and Mikey reminds you to take a walk, autonomy accord. Diplomacy, will open with the showing of thenew BBC film “Assault read a book, and make a friend, and a When the shootout erupted in on the Male.” The film considers evidence that chemicals which new exhibit at the N.E. Aquarium. the Jabaliya refugee camp north of mimic the female hormone estrogen may have caused the docu- Gaza City, the six were distribut- mented 50 percent decrease in human male sperm count. A&E ................................ P. 7 ing leaflets criticizing the PLO for Followingthe film, a panel of experts will present various perspec- Early 20th century art on display at attempting to return to talks on tives on the issue. The panel consists of: Dr. Ana Soto, associate the MFA, Thumbelina is lame, and implementing Palestinian au- professor of anatomy and cellular biology at Tufts University School Soundgarden’s latest is superb. tonomy in the occupied territo- of Medicine; Paul Bums, coordinator of the MASSPIRG Toxics Reduction Campaign; Robert Miller, representative from the Oil, “ ries. ,p orh................................p. 9 Two of the six Palestinians were Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union; and, Sheldon Krimsky, pro- Baseball struggles to 1-5 on itsopen- shot point-blank -- one grabbed by fessor and chairman of the Department of Urban and Environmental ig road trip, an IM update, and Marc the hair and shot in the head and a Policy at Tufts. heinkin on last week’s sports stones. second killed as he lay bleeding on the ground, witnesses said. -- Jessica Rosenthal page two THE TUFTS DAILY Tuesday, March 29,1994 THETUFTS DAILY Muslim and Croat leaders meet to iron Caroline C. Schaefer Editor-in-Chief out differences as UN continues support Managing Editor: Marc Sheinkin SARAJEVO,Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) fire Feb. 25. The two sides also have agreed of Bosnia, have not agreed to cede territory Associate Editors: Nadya Sbaiti, David Meyers -- With the guns around Sarajevo silenced, to merge their armies.