Last week's contract negotiations between the University and Brown Dining Services workers made for a surprisingly tense drama. BDS workers threatened to strike on Parents' Weekend, and the two sides came to an agreement at 2 a.m. the night before the strike would have begun. Students held multiple rallies in support of the workers, one of which featured a giant puppet caricature of an administrator clutching dollar bills in each of his hands.
Now that a compromise has been reached and the dust has settled, we would like to reflect on the week's events in hopes of extracting some lessons that might be useful going forward, as the University prepares to cut $30 million from next year's budget.
The central point of dispute in the negotiations was over how to calculate BDS employees' health care contributions, with the University insisting that the existing method be changed. However, the University never specified how much money could be saved as a result of the proposed change, and only vaguely suggested that the switch would allow for more "flexibility" in structuring costs.
We think the University owed the workers — and the community as a whole — a better explanation than this. BDS workers are tremendously important to Brown's day-to-day functioning and earn less than many other University employees. These considerations heighten the University's obligation to be clear and forthright about changes affecting BDS workers. Instead, the administration allowed itself to be portrayed as greedy and self-serving because it was not entirely transparent about its motives.
While the administration's reputation certainly suffered last week, students should acknowledge that the University has thus far done a sound job of navigating through tough financial times and appreciate that high-level administrators have also made sacrifices.
The administration has declared that it will not allow budget modifications to affect financial aid or academic programs. And so far, the administration has not resorted to massive tuition hikes to compensate for endowment losses — this years' 2.9 percent increase in the overall undergraduate charge actually represents the smallest increase since the 1960s.
Moreover, all administrators have accepted a pay freeze, and several have followed President Ruth Simmons in voluntarily requesting reduced pay. Vacant administrative positions in the Office of the President, the Office of the Dean of the College and Human Resources have been eliminated, requiring current administrators to take on additional responsibilities.
While students had a right to be upset about the University's treatment of BDS workers, the harsh portrayal of the administration at the student rallies was unfair and extreme. With many more budget cuts ahead, students may again need to mobilize to convey the community's sentiment — they cannot afford to alienate administrators or undermine their own credibility.
Perhaps the clearest and most important lesson from last week's events is this: The Brown community will not stand for the appearance that administrators are sparing themselves at the expense of less powerful or less prominent employees. When the Organizational Review Committee reports on proposed budget cuts this winter, they must take extra care to show that new burdens will fall on all University employees, from the highest levels of the administration all the way down.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
