Employee Alleges Discrimination

Over two dozen members of the Harvard community gathered in Harvard Square yesterday to show solidarity for Sarah A. Thomas, an employee in the Holyoke Center who alleged her supervisor has unfairly discriminated against her since he took the post in April.

The group, primarily composed of members of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW) with the addition of some graduate students, met in front of the T station at about 2:45 p.m. yesterday and walked with Thomas to her grievance meeting.

Thomas, who is African American and has sickle cell trait, said she has suffered discrimination both because of her race and her disability, and has been punished for taking an active role in the union.

Harvard spokesman Joe Wrinn declined to comment, stating that Harvard does not comment on personnel issues. Thomas’s supervisor did not return repeated requests for comment yesterday.

Of the seven requests she brought into the greivance meeting, Thomas said only one was granted—an allowance for a four-day flexible schedule that will allow her to take Wednesdays off.

Geoffrey Carens, a union representative, said he was disappointed with the outcome of the meeting.

“We will go legal; we will start multiple lawsuits if we don’t get what she needs,” he said.

Thomas and Carens said that she had received glowing performance reviews by her African-American supervisor at the Account Payables Office for two and a half years before her new supervisor, who is white, took over. Within one month, Thomas said, her new supervisor wrote her up for tardiness.

On Oct. 6, Thomas’ supervisor issued a memo—which will remain in her record—that chastised her for absenteeism and lateness. Thomas said her lateness was due to chronic fatigue caused by her sickle cell trait, and that other events, such as the murder of her cousin, forced her to miss work.

According to Carens, all the employees in the department enjoyed a flexible schedule until the supervisor placed Thomas in a five-day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. Thomas said no one else was on such a schedule and she was the only one in the department with a disability.

Thomas also said that once a month her computer would be stripped of vital components for computers in other departments, preventing her from doing her work, and that her pay had twice been docked unfairly. She said that she was singled out in retaliation for going to the union.

Though Thomas and Carens said they are prepared to take legal action, they said their focus is currently on the Dec. 6 HUCTW election. The two are running on a four-member ticket for leadership positions in the 4,800-member union.

Thomas said she has suffered harassment since announcing her candidacy for treasurer of the HUCTW. The University released a memo at the beginning of the month entitled “Policy on Conflict of Interest and Commitment,” which all employees were asked to sign and which threatened termination if an employee was found to violate it. The memo included an example of a violation in which an employee working on a fundraising event might spend three weeks—the same period during which Thomas was allowed to campaign—making phone calls during business hours.

Thomas and Carens said the memo was aimed at stifling union participation, though the memo seemed to guard itself against being anti-union.

“This policy is not intended to limit reasonable participation in professional and community activities that benefit and reflect positively on the University,” the memo read.

Jennifer Blatz, a vice presidential candidate for the HUCTW, attended the rally. She said Thomas’ problem is not unique.

“I’m working with someone at the Education School right now with a similar problem,” she said. “It just seems to be that the disability offices at Harvard discourage the possibility to get disabilities even acknowledged.”

“When I was working in Widener, I had the same exact problem,” Thomas said. She and Carens first met several years ago when he represented her when she worked in the library. Thomas said that now, after working under one supervisor who was sympathetic to her needs, management is once again dismissive of her disability.

“Harvard actually has good benefits and it’s a good place to work,” she said. “The problem is, the University doesn’t train its management very well.”