12 Friday, September 30, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS TERRY L BERLIN Bargaining Progress Reported in Akiva Teachers' Strike FAST, COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL SERVICES phone 353-1474 (Continued from Page 1) that he would "be sur- prised" if Rabbi Lopin did not conduct the school's bus- Attorney At Law la. AIll ilk*** iness while in New York. Other callers claimed that Akiva had approached students and faculty of the riLliarat FREE Drycleaning ONE PAIR OF PANTS CLEANED AND PRESSED FREE WITH INCOMING CUSTOM CLEANING ORDER OF $5.95 OR MORE SOMERSET CLEANERS 12 Mile & Evergreen 12 Mile & Middlebek Maple & Coolidge LOng Lake & Rochester EXCLUDES ALL OTHER SPECIALS Coupon Must Be Presented With Incoming Order, Expires Oct. 31, 1983 DENTURE WEARERS Are you having trouble with your dentures? Having mane a special study of denture wearers and their problems for the last 15 years, I may be able to help you, if you have any of the following problems: looseness, sore spots, poor lower ridge, even no lower ridge; "floating" lower denture, incorrect bite, inability to eat properly, teeth too short, or other unnatural appearance. No charge for consultation. Insurance, Medicaid, Visa and Master Charge ac- Dentistry for the cepted. entire family since 1960 MANUEL J. KANER, D.D.S. 29911 WEST SIX MILE (JUST W. OF MIDDLEBELT) • LIVONIA 261 4320 - , Kollel to teach its Hebrew classes. Rabbi Moshe Schwab, dean of the Kollel, said, "Not to my know- ledge," when asked if Akiva had contacted the Kbllel. On Tuesday afternoon, Tom Turner of the Met- ropolitan Detrot AFL-CIO conducted a press confer- ence in the Akiva parking lot in support of the striking teachers. Meanwhile, Ronald F. Berman, president of Akiva, gave a lengthy let- ter to The Jewish News in response to "fabrica- tions, distortions and half-truths" "fed to the media" by the teachers. Berman's letter stated in part: "Last week's Jewish News reported that union officials gave the newspaper an 'open letter' in which it charged, - inter alia, that the school has delayed negotia- tic;ns, that 'It is using uncer- tified, unqualified teachers in place of the striking teachers; that the striking teachers have never `threatened or violated' anyone crossing the picket line,' etc. "For the information of the public and those teachers who might have been misinformed, negotia- tions commenced on July 7 and have continued in numerous, lengthy sessions "In light of the claim by Hillel teachers that 'The teachers of Akiva Heb- rew Day School have been thrown out of their classroom,' it must be pointed out that in Au- gust, when negotiations were not moving quickly, Akiva asked that the teachers commence the school year under the old contract and both sides would continue to negotiate. "No reply was received at the bargaining table, but the next day the union sent the school a letter announc- ing its intention to strike. Teachers were not 'thrown out of classrooms,' but chose not to teach. "The union solidarity of the Hillel teachers is touch- ing, but regard for the facts would better behoove those who self-righteously de- clare their concern for the future of Jewish education. One should also be aware of the fact that any teacher who chose to teach was im- mediately ac,cepted, and several Akiva teachers are not on the job, alongside new colleagues. "The denial by teachers that no violence or threats of violence have been used by the union is so patently false that one can only won- der about the values and etliics of those enunciating it. At least two Akiva offi- cials and three parents have "Steve Cohen, chief been threatened, in obscene negotiator for Akiva, cor- language, with violence. rectly denied in last week's "A teacher was sur- Jewish News that any of the rounded in the school replacement teachers are, parking lot by picketers uncertified, and the union who proceeded to rock has yet to prove its untrue his car and damage it assertion . . . while screaming threats S ki0IBLE ANNIVERSAft y AL HARRISON LUGGAGE OUTLET HARRISON LUGGAGE OUR 1st ANNIVERSARY AT OUR NEW LOCATION 25 Years In Birmingham. Providing The Finest In Business Cases and Small Leather Goods - All At Corn- petitive Prices. Featuring Promotional, Discontinued and Special Purchases - Luggage, Business Cases, Handbags, Small Leather Goods. • ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL • Storewide 20 ,7 STORiWIDE ALWAYS 20-50% OFF EVERYDAY • ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL • 0 F F ADDITIONAL 20% OFF OUR ALREADY DISCOUNTED PRICES British Aliya Up FRI., SAT. ONLY HARRISON LUGGAGE (Just N. of Maple) 646-8088 Hours: 9:30-5:30 Mon.-Sat., Optn Until 9:00 Thurs. & Fri. 152 N. Woodward 8 11/ and obscenities at him. "Two striking teachers admitted publicly, at a meeting of over 200 people on Sept. 11, that threats of violence had been made at a teachers' meeting . . "The teachers are quoted as citing their willingness to work under conditions of harassment' in the last two years. While their meaning is unclear, it should be noted that the union has harassed the school with numerous grie- vances and unfair labor practices, some filed even without the knowledge or against the will of the sup- posed grievant. "When a union files a grievance against the school because the school insists that a teacher not leave a classroom half an hour early, and unattended, several times a week, one must wonder who is harras- sing whom. "Finally, we do not be- lieve that substantive negotiations are properly conducted in the news- paper-s. But since the union chose to air part of their proposal in The Jewish News, we must point out that they have consistently and errone- ously assumed that our proposal to allow the principal to assign, schedule, and even re- duce the hours of teachers is aimed at specific persons. It is not, though one must wonder why certain teachers presume that they would be judged worthy of re- duction. "Moreover, the teachers neglected to inform The Jewish News that their proposal to reduce some teachers from 140 to 117 percent specified that no re- duction in pay take place, and that reduced teachers be given the unilateral right to decide whether or not they will teach after 3:30 p.m. "They, also neglected to mention that if a teacher's load were reduced, he or she would be given full pay for a year. We suggest that edu- cational suitability, not seniority or convenience, be the primary criterion by which teachers shall be as- signed, and that such deci- sions be reserved to the ad- ministration, as they are in any other school. "Despite the atmosphere of confrontation and distor- tion created by the union, Akiva will continue to negotiate in good faith with the representatives the teachers have chosen so that a mutually satisfactory solution can be reached as quickly as possible . . ." Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 AL HARRISON LUGGAGE OUTLET 3116 W. 12 Mile (between Greenfield & Coolidge) 545-7393 Hours: 9-5 Mon.-Sat., 9-9 Thurs.-Fri. (Open until 9:00 this Fri. for Anniversary Sale Only!) LONDON (ZINS) — Aliya from Great Britain reached 1,300 last year and Israeli experts believe the British Jewish community is undergoing a change of attitude towards aliya. The Israelis hope to double the number of immigrants from Britain.