Ko Lyn Cheang photo
A Yale union-led rally downtown in July.
The Board of Alders unanimously approved closing off sections of Prospect Street on May 1 and May 5 to accommodate UNITE HERE plans to install a new work of public art and to hold a rally in support of local hiring, as the union continues to negotiate a new contract with the university.
Local legislators took that unanimous vote Monday night during their latest full board meeting, held online via Zoom and YouTube Live.
The alders voted to close off Prospect Street between Grove and Lock Streets on Saturday, May 1 from noon to 8 p.m. And they voted to close off Prospect Street between Grove and Edwards Streets on Wednesday, May 5 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
As part of that same vote, they also threw their support behind any special event permits that the Yale clerical and technical workers union — UNITE HERE Local 34—may need to pull from the city in order to “install a piece of public art” on May 1 and then to hold a public rally on May 5.
Speaking in support of the street closure request Monday night, Westville Alder and Local 34 Chief Steward Adam Marchand said that the May 1 public art event will include “street painting” that will be connected to the rally for more local jobs, a fair settlement to Local 34’s contract negotiations, and increased contributions by the university to the city budget.
Zoom
Monday night’s virtual Board of Alders meeting.
Local 34 Secretary-Treasurer Ken Suzuki and Chief Steward and Staff Director Barbara Vereen fleshed out the reasons behind the planned street closures in a letter sent on Monday to the Board of Alders in advance of the aldermanic vote.
“Along with Local 35, we represent nearly 5000 employees at Yale University,” they wrote. “In our current contract talks, our top goals are to secure our jobs and protect our standard of pay and benefits. Our success will benefit New Haven, given that Yale is one of the largest employers in the region and good jobs are a foundation for a strong community. We also stand with many residents and community organizations calling on Yale to increase its commitment of resources to our City.”
A description of the planned May 5 rally posted on Local 34’s website states that, for the past year, its union members “have been essential workers on the frontlines of higher education working to provide health care, to keep the Yale community safe, to facilitate online learning, and to ensure successful University operations in a global pandemic.
“We’ve been negotiating for months to protect our jobs and our union standard of affordable healthcare, good wages, and the ability to retire with dignity.”
The union website references Yale’s commitment more than five years ago to hire 1,000 New Haven residents, including 500 from neighborhoods of need.
“We are still waiting,” the site reads.
Both Local 34 and Local 35 last approved their respective five-year contracts with the university in 2017. Both are set to expire in 2022.