Afternoon sun and speeches by students, workers and Cambridge officials attracted almost 200 activists to yesterday's rally for a living wage in front of University Hall, and an evening shower did not deter about 30 seasoned protesters from pitching tents in front of the Science Center in a "sleep-out" for workers' rights.

Cambridge Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio and City Council members Jim Braude and Marjorie C. Decker headlined the demonstration.

Each said Harvard's failure to pass a living wage of $10 per hour for all Harvard employees could jeopardize the University's good relationship with the council--which is crucial for ongoing development projects like the Knafel Center for Government and International Studies and a proposed art museum on the bank of the Charles River.

"If Harvard wants to build a new building and comes to the City Council, all nine of us will say, 'Implement a living wage, and we'll talk,'" Braude said.

But Paul S. Grogan, Harvard's vice president for government, public and community affairs, said the University faces different concerns than the city of Cambridge and must consider a host of factors before changing labor policy.

"To the extent that there's an impression created that the University has been inactive or ineffective on the issue, that couldn't be more incorrect," he said. "It arises out of [the fact that] a municipality acting on this issue makes the decision very differently than a university."

The City Council passed a resolution Monday night urging Harvard to adopt a living wage of $10 per hour. At the meeting, a few councillors, including Decker, said they would not side with Harvard on development issues unless the University implements a living wage.

Braude reiterated this ultimatum yesterday, and said he was speaking on behalf of the entire council.