Union Claims Discrimination But Drops Cook Grievance

Although the food service workers union last month dropped a grievance filed for a woman denied a cook's job, it has charged that the University discriminates against women by unfairly excluding from the higher paying cooks' positions.

As is the general case nationwide, very few Harvard cooks are women, except in the Quad, where several remain from the days when Radcliffe was still independent Union officials said the University systematically keeps women from the cooks' positions, which pay an average $2 an hour more than lower grade jobs.

Local 26 officials said the University concentrates women in counter jobs while giving to kitchen workers-most of whom are men the experience needed for promotion.

However, at the request of the woman involved. Local 26 has dropped a grievance in arbitration it had tiled when an employee was selected for a Quiney house cook's job instead of Food Service employee Patricia N. Diblasi.

Diblast said she asked the union last month to drop the grievance because the compels process was more trouble than it was worth. The grievance was taken to arbitration after being rejected three times by the University.

When the controversy developed last year. Diblast said she felt Harvard had diserminated against her Diblasi took year of cooking courses: which, along with six months' volunteering her time cooking two mornings a week, the union contended qualified her for the job.

But Quincy House Dinning Hall Manager Herbert Littlejohn said that Diblast "never really helped out with an examine meal. The job posted was for a late shift cook."

Diblast, who had worked for five years as a checker in the hall, said Littlejohn did not allows her to help cook when she was working her regular hours, "I'm not experienced. but they won't give me the experience," Diblast charged.

Diblast has since switched to a major in management and works in food service part-time at the Quad.

Pot Washer Chosen

The applicant chosen for the position had no special courses and worked for two years as a pot washer, which Local 26 Business Agent Barbara Rice said did not give him more expensive in cooking. Rice said that pot Wahers are occasionally asked to help cook, but added that she feels checkers who could help just as well are not given the opportunity.

Rice concluded that although Diblast may not have been more qualified than the successful applicant. "She was qualified for the job, and she should have had the chance because of the history of discrimination at Harvard."

Normally, the promotion track to a cook's position is through work in the kitchen, where few women hold jobs, according to Edward W. Powers associate general counsel for employee relations.

In response to union complaints at last years' contact negotiations, Powers said. Harvard has begun to consider salad bar prepares as being on an alternate track for cooking jobs.

But Rice said that there are only about 12 salad bar prepares at Harvard, and the University actively discourages women from applying for kitchen positions.

Powers said, however, that Food Services makes it clear which jobs are likely to lead to promotions when it first hires workers.