To the Editor:
Reading The Herald's article covering the library workers' contract settlement last week ("Libraries union approves four-year contract," Nov. 10), we can't help but be struck by Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper's closing comment: "I want to add that Brown is so fortunate to have such a dedicated community. These are extremely challenging times and Brown's employees have been terrific at working together to ensure that Brown's students get the best experience possible."
This statement concludes two months of contract negotiations, during which the University has conjured up an imagined zero-sum formulation, pitting students and workers against each other in a competition for resources. Ludicrously, Huidekoper and fellow administrators publicly imply that there are only two line items in the University's budget — compensation for workers and student services — and whatever benefits one group necessarily hurts the other. But any casual observer of University goings-on could begin to list off the many other expenditures that the University deems worthwhile, and that, unlike workers' wages and livelihoods, are never accused of directly trading off with crucial components of the student experience at Brown. Huidekoper insults the student body's intelligence by implying that we would be fooled into thinking that the University's anti-worker contract proposals were somehow put forward with students' best interests at heart. Curtailing workers' control over their hours, increasing their healthcare costs and trying to undermine their bargaining unit have nothing to do with "ensur(ing) that Brown's students get the best experience possible." Indeed, to the contrary, the interests of students and the interests of workers are now and have always been aligned.
Kate Hadley '12.5
Haley Kossek '13
Julian Park '12
Lenora Knowles '11
Alex Dean '14
