As the human resources director for Harvard University, do you object to the definition of the bargaining unit?

Harvard University’s medical area consists of its medical, dental, and public health schools and is located about three miles from the main Harvard campus. The medical area employs approximately 1,200 clerical and technical workers. These employees are similar to the 2,400 clerical and technical workers throughout the rest of the university in typing manuscripts, handling correspondence, and performing technical duties, though in the medical area the work is more medically oriented and perhaps includes more health hazards. There are relatively more technical workers than clerical workers in the medical area compared to the rest of Harvard. Of the Harvard clerical and technical employees in the medical area that transfer between jobs, approximately 80 percent stay within the medical area. Human resource policies are established centrally for all of Harvard; the medical area is the only campus unit to have its own human resources office. This office is responsible for hiring new employees but must comply with the centrally established job classification and wage system. In the early 1970s a handful of women employed in Harvard University’s medical area started a group to bring attention to discriminatory treatment against female workers. Out of frustration with Harvard’s unresponsiveness, this movement grew into a campaign to unionize, and in 1975 a petition was filed with the NLRB to conduct an election for clerical and technical employees in the medical area.

QUESTIONS

1. As the human resources director for Harvard University, do you object to the definition of the bargaining unit? In other words, would you rather have an election for all clerical and technical workers at Harvard, not just those in the medical area? What are the risks and benefits?

2. As the NLRB, how would you decide on the appropriate bargaining unit if Harvard objected? References: Harvard College, 229 NLRB No. 97 (1977);

Budd, John; Budd, John. Labor Relations: Striking a Balance (p. 203). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Kindle Edition.