Responsive?

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We were distressed to read the article about the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers in the December 2 issue of The Crimson. Kris Rondeau's statement, "The union is not for people who campaigned against it," is completely contrary to the union message before the election. During the pre-election campaigning we heard over and over again that HUCTW would give Harvard support staff a voice.

This is a strange twist. It appears that only those who say what the union wants to hear will be allowed a voice. Staff members who voted against the union in May did so because they were convinced that a union was not the answer. NLRB certification of HUCTW has been a difficult pill to swallow but, despite this disappointment, many of the "No" voters have expressed a willingness to become involved in the process of creating a strong and worthwhile union, one which will accomplish good things for all who are to be represented.

As members of the Harvard community, we hope the union will reevaluate its current stance. If a large percentage of the duespaying membership becomes disenfranchised, barred from the process, the union is threatening its own hopes for success. An effective way to destroy an organization is to cause dissension within, and it seems most unwise for an organization to do it to itself.

If HUCTW is not willing to listen to all the support staff it represents, perhaps it will listen to supporters. We call on the Harvard students who supported the union cause and the Undergraduate Council, whose membership backed HUCTW's cries for assistance, to throw their energies into supporting the truly voiceless members of the Harvard community, those who cannot go to the Harvard administration because they are now represented by a union which feels they are unworthy to speak. Barbara Anderson  Kathleen Kennedy   Carmelle Bransfield  Lucilia M. Santos   Gina G. Curry  Constance Sinclair   Lori Ann David  Jan Surette   Mary Galvin