,
�. /
LO A G L , CA.-The
f mily of 1 in civil rights
leader Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., recently filed uit gainst a
Los Angele auction house
claiming the outline of a King
peech which it had cheduled
for auction had been tolen.
The law uit ked that the
document be returned and that
the Superior Galleries pay $5
million in punitive damages.
A gallery spoke person
denied that the peech outline
had been tolen but Michele
Clark Jenldns---speaking for
the King family-said, "We
have evidence that
demonstrate without a doubt
that the document w wrong­
fully taken." The peech out­
line· sold for $35,000 at the
auction.
Raci mat
University of
Virginia? .
CHA.IU.OT'I'BSVI� V A­
University of Virginia offi­
cials last week promised they
will investigate Black student
complaints of "systematic and
institutional racism" at the
Darden Graduate School of
Business.
Ac di
MSNAAC�
challengers
teacher exam
JACKSON, MS- The Mis­
sissippi NAACP is charging
that the state teachers ex­
amination discriminates
against Blacks and it is calling
upon the state legislature to
replace the exam. According
to the NAACP only 3,000 o.
the 26,000 teachers who have
passed the exam have been
Black.
Jordan ranks
as hlghe
paid athlete
CHICAGO, Ilr-Basketball
superstar Michael Jordan has
climbed to the top of the list as
the nation's highest paid ath­
lete. The 29-year-old Chicago
Bulls player will make an es­
timated $36 million this year.
F orbes magezine-e-the
busine s publication which
compiled the annual list---e -
timated that nearl y $20 million
of Jordan's nearly $40 million
income will not come from
playing basketball, but from
endorsi ng various commercial
produc�. '
Oprah Winfrey
to malTy
HART OlD, CT-After­
noon talk-show host Oprah
Winfrey announced last week
that he will soon be marrying
her long-time friend,
busines man Stedman
Graham. However, the 38-
year-Old Winfrey did not give
a wedding date.
By Patricia Colbert
D orr - WGPR, chann I 62,
the nations first BI ck owned nd
operated televi ion tation clo ed
their new department with the firing
of 11 employees in July of thi year.
Fearing the 10 of their job , or
having their ub tandard wage
reduced, former employee of
WGPR complain they endured in­
humane conditions while under the
upervi ion of Station President,
George Mathews.
WGPR radio and channel 62 i1 the
property of the International Free and
Accepted Modem Masons.
William V. Banks, founder and
former president of WGPR founded
the International Free and Accepted
Modem Masons in 1950. He started
the radio station in 1964 and channel
62 in 1975.
America eeking e perien
bro d ting and communi tio
In te d, employee ,p t nd
present id 11 they got were li ,
deception, exual h ment nd
inhumane treatment.
An ongoing cholarship fund w
et up in the name of Banks but
accordin to employees, it w dis­
continued wh n Mathew took over.
Several employee tated that
persons holding degree with top
eniority at WGPR were pas ed up
for promotions, while others without
degree were moved up.
In an interview, employees com­
plained that their personal mail w
opened and read before they were
allowed to receive it.
�
Former employees of WGPR and the UAW recently demostrated in front of WGPR. The group was protesting
the firing of personnel i n WGPR's news department.
WANDA F. AOQUEMOREMIchIo-n at.n
Joanne Watson, executive director of the Detroit NAACP discusses boycott strategies with Veronica Brown,
extended sister to Raffel Dent Dent was killed August 31 at A'at's Setf Serv after an arguement with the
cashier over a pack of cirgar.ettes. Brown and herf�ily, with community support have boycotted the station
sinCe September 3.
enate approve
By NICHOLAS M. COQUILLARD
C.p't.' N.w. SlHV/ce
LAN lNG-Two bills pa ed by
the Senate and now awaiting House
action aim to significantly change
teacher tenure.
At thi point, the change called
for by the bills target the procedure
by which teachers appeal, how or if a
teacher is paid if suspended and the
probationary period of new and
moving teachers. ,
Senate Bill 639 tate that a tenure
teacher appealing a disciplinary ac­
tion maya k for a hearing before an
admini trative judge of the state
Te her Tenure Commi ion rather
than first facing their board of educa­
tion.
In addition. if a teacher is
uspended pending a hearing, the bill
requires a teacher'S pay to continue
until a deci ion is rendered by the
Tenure Commi ion.
entative said, "We organized and
took a vote. The vote was in favor of
the UA W. After certification, the
UA W became the exclusive bargain­
ing agent for the bargaining unit
members of WfJ R.-We.#tu tedt to
lfb�lnk
p� J R� R�t,ip.· We w�re iet
with hostility. ''rhe fi t thing !,e
ked for w a mandatory letter :of
bargaining, outlining what �a
needed in order for the UA W to begin
negotiations. The letter listed heaJth
benefits, seniority, classification,
ratio of ethnics, age category and
holidays, II' Kelly-Larde said. '
According to employees, M h­
ews attribute the firings to econo ic
hardship due to a sluggish economy.
However, a recent' court docu�nt
•
shows WGPR as having signifiC!lnt
assets. AJ 0, the employees notqJ,
cancellation of the news depart"*nt_
is in violation of the station's F(::C
license.
Commenting, on the removaf of
channel 62 "Nightly New "one cOm­
munity member stated, "WGP� is
part of our history and i vital to fur'
communities. This is a part of BI4ck
history that we, as a people cannot
afford to lose."
The Michigan Citizen made
several calls to WGPR in an attempt
to speak with Mathew . Calls put
through to his office were in�r­
cepted by his secretary. On . everal
occasions the person on the other nd
of th phone became indignant and
ended the conversation by hanging
up the phone. .
d
8-637 WOULD INCREASE holds true, Dalman aid the bills will some things we won't," Brennen'
the probationary period for a teacher be re-introduced in January. Root aid. "(But) if we don't get the
from two to'three years with an op= , Dalman aid she looks forward to amendments, we don't see the ele-
tional fourth year. the proposed tenure change . , ments as a po itive step in collective
It also would increase from one to "I upport all tho e changes that bargaining for our members."
two years the probationary period for strengthen the (tenure) review Brennen Root said the MEA i
,a teacher moving from one school process," Dalman aid. making progress in its bid to amend
district to another. Dalman' aid he expects the bills the bills.
Thirdly, the bill limits the recall to be amended in the Democrat-led Some officials welcome ome of
rights of a laid-off tenure teacher to House, but aid he believe the bill the tenure changes, but aren't sure
three years. There are cu ently no are important, even with revi ions. these bills will urvive.
recalllimits, Those pushing hardest for chan-
Rep. Bill Keith, D-Garden, City, ges in the bills include the Michigan
aid the House versions, now in the Education As ociation (MEA).
Education Committee he chairs, are
virtually identical to those pas ed by
the Senate.
The Hous version of SB-6,39 is
sponsored by Rep. Richard Bandstra,
R�Grand Rapid , while Rep. Je sie
Dalman, R-Holland, ponsors the
House version of SB-637. .
RITA ClARK, FORMER host
and producer of "Strictly Speaking"
a one hour public affairs format, who
also anchored and reported "Nightly
News" said, "I gave 150 percent to
AFfERTIlEDEATHofBanks WGPR, but no matter how hard I·
in 1985, Mathews, a member of the worked I was never given any en­
International Masons from Niagara couragement or recognition from
Fall, New York, in a hostile Mathews.1t eemedasthoughnoone
takeover, became the Supreme Presi- really cared .. Many times I worked
dent of WGPR, court documents long hours without pay and I never leave. I had to face a different dilem- Banks administration ays he was
reveal. received as much as a thank you." ma with him everyday. No one fired under unusual circumstances.
Because of its status as the first Karen Yandle, 32, former houldhavetoworkundertho econ- "He (Mathew) made my life a
Black-owned and operated television employee of WG PR recalls her years ditions. U living hell," said Scruggs. "After
station in the nation, many hoped under Mathew supervi ion, "I� was spending all of those years at WGPR,
GPR cha nel 62 'would be'-. awful," ai Yandle,'." ha ed e ay a d
tu- OUTce .. r youn r ' m until I no oth choice but to tern t
alcnts .t\lde��<�.lt���� blatl�'& J_�" . ''A
school, faculty members !ire .-- :'_1ioM _M"'-oouple of days later I received a Jette;
intolerant of different views of demotion. I decided against taking
and have low expectations -of anymore ofhi abuse so I filed for my
Black students. TIle 46-mem- unemployment benefits. Mathew
ber faculty has two Black tried t6 prevent me from getting
members. them. He tried to make things as hard
for me as he could. Most of the
employees were afraid of him. They
were afraid to question his position.
But most of all they were afraid of
Josing their jobs. After Mathew failed
to appear in court to oppo e me, they
ruled in my favor."
WGPR EMPLOYEES SAID
thing got so. bad that they ·had no
alternative but to contact the UAW.
Their fear of becoming un­
employed became a reality when 11
of them were fired from WGPR for
participating in union activities.
After an investigation, charges
were filed September 9, 1992 with
the National Labor Relations Board
against WGPR for interfering.
restraining and coercing employees
in the exercise of their right to or­
ganize.
Discrimination charges were also
filed for failur and refusal to bargain
with the exclusive collective bargain­
ing representative of it's employees
.of local 1796 of the UAW.
Leatha Kelly-Larde UA W repre-
D M AID there are no
plans to formall y discuss the bills
before the end of the year. If that
teacher tenure change
ME
COMMU ICATIO
ociation of School Boar� (MASS),
aid that he does not expect the bill
to make it through the Legislature'as
written end it is MASB's hope :to
push for "a more comprehensive and
meaningful reform." :
White aid MASB believes mQst
educational authority should rem in
at local levels, without the invol e­
ment of third parties, uch as the stale.
,
I
HOWEVER, WHITE A.D
mo t of hi members favor teachers
appealing to the Tenure Commi ion
rath r than the to local board, if the
current appeals procedure remains .•
. "It would de-politicize the appeal
proce ," White aid. "Giv n the
context of th current law, leaving the
chool board out of the (appeal )
proce i no big deal:'
NED CURTIS, uperintendent of
Holland Public Schools. aid he ex­
pects the bill to die if the GOP con­
trols the House, based on Gov. John
Engler' belief in abolishing tenure.
Curtis said he believe that labor
laws effectively protect teachers,
making tenure 0 olete.
Without the aboli hment of
tenure, Curti said he upports
treamlining the appeals proces in Currently, no matterwhata chool
order to quicken it and save money. board decide on te cbers' appeals, a
Tom White, director of govern- higher appeal board automatically
ment relations for the Michigan - hears the case.
Di rector Kim Br nnen Root said in
ord r for the rganization to upport
the ill, probationary period must
remain at two years and the persons
instru ·ting chool children must b
certifie teachers.
In addition. the MEA oppose
limiting the recall right 0 tenured
teachers.
"I think we'l1 get om things and