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Vol. LIX, No. 20 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday, September 29, 1978 Ten Cents Fourteen Pages
Striking rail clerks.
ordered back to jobs
Mad dash Daily Photo by WAYNE CABLE
Larry Silbart dashes toward the entrane of the Old Architecture and Design building as he attempts to make his
course changes before the computer shuts down. Yesterday was the last day for regular CRISP drop/add registration.
NO HARMFUL EFFECTS DETECTED IN MICH. SAMPLE:
PBB found in 90%, of residents
WASHINGTON (AP - President
Carter stepped in yesterday to end a
crippling nationwide rail strike by or-
dering rail clerks back to their jobs for
60 days.
But the head of the striking union
refused to commit himself immediately
to obeying the order.,
THE PRESIDENT said he was using
his emergency powers to halt the three-
day walkout because "we have almost
a complete shutdown of rail service in
our country."
The 42-state strike has tied up ship-
ments of autos, food, coal and other
vital freight shipments, forced some
worker layoffs due to parts shortages,
and stranded thousands of daily rail
commuters.
"This will take the railroad workers
back to the job," Carter said. "If there
is opposition to this action then I would
not-hesitate to go to federal court to en-
force it."
FRED KROLL, president of the
striking clerks union, said in a
statement following the president's an-
nouncement that the union "will
determine its course of future action on
the basis of the nature of the gover-
nment's guarantees of a variety of
protection for all railroad workers on
the Norfolk & Western."
The nationwide strike began Tuesday
when the union extended its 80-day
strike against N&W to most other
major carriers.
A union spokesman, asked if Kroll
was defying the president, would only
acknowledge that there was nothing in
Kroll's statement "sending people back
tow rok." The spokesman, who asked
not to be identified, said the union
leader had not issued an order to end
picketing.
CARTER ACTED after a marathon,
26-hour bargaining session by union and
railroad negotiators failed to achieve a
settlement by yesterday mid-day
deadline imposed by the government.
Carter said at a nationally televised
and broadcast news conference that he
has issued orders that create an
emergency board to recommend terms
for a settlement.
Carter ordered an end to the walkout
under emergency powers provided by
the National Railway Labor Act.
LABOR SECRETARY Ray Marshall
announced earlier that government in-
tervention was expected, telling repor-
ters that his efforts to have the parties
negotiate an agrgement had failed.
The Norfolk and Western Railway
and the Brotherhood of Railway and
Airline Clerks "have been unable to
reach an agreement during the past 26
hours," said Marshall.
The secretary said that earlier in the
day the federal agency that mediates
railraod disputes had recommended
that the president move to halt the
strike under the labor act.
MARSHALL HAD ordered the two
sides to negotiate around the clock for
24 hours in hopes of reaching an
Conferees agree
on tuition tax crei
agreement before a noon deadline. But,
sources said, the secretary extended
that deadline for another 90 minutes to
make a final personal effort to mediate
a settlement.
As an alternative, Carter could have
asked Congress for emergency
legislation to end the crippling strike.
Under the law, workers must stay on
the job for a 60-day "cooling-off"
period-30 days for the board to
prepare its report and another 30 days
for the government to try to get the two
sides to settle. If there is no settlement
at the end of the 60 days, the union
would be free to resume its strike.
When that has happened in the past,
presidents have been required under
the law to seek emergency
congressional legislation to avert a
strike. The last time the law was in-
vgked was in 1975, when President
Gerald Ford averted a threated strike
by the railway clerks.
By ELISA ISAACSON
Your roommate may have it or your
neighbor may have it. In fact, nine out
of 10 Michigan residents do have the
toxic chemical PBB in their bodies,
although no harmful effects have been
detected yet, a recently released state-
funded test reveals.
"Just about everyone in the state sin-
ce 1973 has PBB in their system," said
Fred Fry of the Senate Appropriations
Committee. The researchers "just
haven's analyzed enough test results"
to determine whether the chemical is
causing health problems among the
general public, he added.
IN THE STUDY, tested persons
reported such ailments as headaches,
nervousness, weight gain, joint pains
and anemia, but according to John
Cook of the State Department of Public
Health, researchers said the results
show "no unexpected frequency of ab-
normal conditions." Skeptical resear-
chers believe the inconclusiveness of
the analysis, led by Irving Selikoff of
New York's Mt. Sinai Hospital, remains
S. Africa
elects Botha
new prime
ministe r
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)-
Pieter Willem Botha, whose tough
record as defense minister earned him-
the nickname "Pete the Weapon,"
became South Africa's new prime
minister yesterday and vowed to im-
prove relations between the gover-
nment and the nation's black majority.
The balding, 62-year-old successor to
John Vorster emerged the winner of a
three-way battle within the ruling,
Afrikaner-dominated National Party in
a closed door party caucus. The
National Party has controlled the white
minority government since 1948.
BOTHA, THE most senior member of
the Cabinet with 12 years as minister of
defense, strode to the front steps of the
Parliament building after his election
and promised "law and order" for the
country. But he said one of his goals will
be "to apply a positive policy to im-
prove the relations between the dif-
ferent population communities, taking
into account the inalienable right of self
determination of all peoples."
At a news conference after his
speech, Botha announced he would
retain his portfolio as defense minister.
He said he intended to make no im-
mediate changes in the Cabinet and
would keep the defense job "as long as I
believe it to be suitable and practical."
During his vars as defense minister.
because no control study of the general
health of uncontaminated persons was
used to compare the findings.
"We need some basis for comparison,
and that we don't have yet," he said. "I
expect by the time they complete the
analysis that they will try to compare it
with similar tests in the United States.
An "unexpectedly" high concen-
tration of alkaline phosphates, a body,
chemical measured in liver function
tests, was discovered in the eon-
taminated subjects, but Cook said "the
meaning of this tabulation is not yet
clear," as liver problems were not
among the diseases detected in a study
of farmers who were in direct contact
with contaminated animals.
THE ANIMALS were contaminated
in 1973 when PBB - polybrominated
biphenyl - a toxic fire retardant, was
inadvertently combined with livestock
feed. Since then, almost the entire
populatibn of Michigan has been affec-
ted through meat and dairy products
sold in supermarkets.
Symptoms attributed to PBIB
poisoning, as revealed by a 1976 study
conducted by Selikoff of 1,029 Michigan
farmers, include skin rashes, joint
aches and neurological problems such
See PBB, Page 14
WASHINGTON (AP)-Senate and
House conferees agreed yesterday on a
bill that would allow a tax credit of up to
$250 per student each year to help offset
college tuition costs.
The provision was approved only af-
ter the House conferees reluctantly
dropped their insistence that the credit
also be made available to parents of
pupils in private elementary and
secondary schools.
IF THE COLLEGE credit wins final
approval of the House and Senate, it
will go to President Carter, who on
several occasions has emphasized he
opposes the tax-credit approach to
education. He views the plan as
wasteful because the credit would go to
rich and poor alike without regard to
need.
Local Dems lack
leadership
The compromise approved by the
conference would start retroactive to
Aug. 1, 1978, with a maximum credit of
$100, and rise to $150 next year and to
$250 in 1980.
The credit would be for 35 per cent o
expenditures for tuition, fees and cer-
tain other costs of vocational and
college education.
HALF-TIME STUDENTS woul(
become eligible for the credit starting
in 1980.
When fully effective, the credit woulc
cost the government about $1 billion a
year in lost tax revenues. The bill woulc
end the credit Dec. 31. 1981.
Sen. William Roth (R-Del.), chiel
sponsor of the coll.ege credit, said aftei
See CONFEREES, Page 14
-Friday
" The Gay Academic Union
plans a teach-in which will be
partially funded by MSA. See
story, Page 2.
* Republican State Represen-
tative Melvin Larsen, running
against incumbent Richard
Austin for Secretary of State,
talks about the importance of the
position. See story, Page 2.
* Wolverine gridiron star
Jerry Meter discusses the impor-
tance of the team concept in foot-
ball. See story, Page 11.
For happenings, weather
. anti local briefs,
see TODAY, page 3.
By JUDY RAKOWSKY
A Daily News Analysis
When the Republicans trounced the
Democrats last April in the city-wide
election-capturing seven out of 10
council seats and the mayor's post-the
minority party predicted a frustrating
year full of unanswered pleas and
defeated legislation.j
For the most part, that prophecy has
been fulfilled.
This is an off year for the Democrats
due to their minority status on City
Council and the questionable strength
of their candidates up for the November
elections.
THELOCAL Democratic party's ef-
fectivenss has been constrained by
GOP domination on Council, the absen-
ce of a strong legislative leader within
its caucus, as well as a divergence in
Candidates and seats
shuffled, then redealt
policy goals between parties.
The Democrats direct more of their
proposals toward the needs for housing
and social services; the Republicans
aim their legislation toward economic
development, parking structures, and
street repairs.
A belated reshuffling of several Ann
Arbor-based candidates for the
November election has caused some
confusion, and it's all due to one man:
Ed Pierce.
FROM THE OUTSET, Pierce plannd
to challenge incumbent Carl Pursell for
the Second Congressional District seat.
Then, according to local party leader
Victor Adamo, some supporters told
Pierce they could not promise the
sustained campaign efforts they had
devoted to his last campaign, in which
Pursell narrowly beat their candidate..
Next, Pierce-upon discovering State
Senator Gilbert Bursley's impending
retirement-decided late in the winter
to run for that seat instead. Unfor-
tunatly, Ypsilanti Mayor George
Goodman was then already a candidte
for the same seat. A remarkably frien-
dly race ensued, which left Goodman in
Ypsilanti and Pierce to contend with
the Republican opposition after the
primary.
Another political casualty of Pierce's
change of heart was Rep. Perry Bullard
(D-53rd District), who had to give up a
race for the state Senate. Bullard
decided to bid for re-election instead of
opposing Pierce in a primary for the
state Senate. Bullard will chair the
Judiciary Committee of the state House
if he is sent back.
THE MIX-AND-MATCH of can-
didates and offices left the Democrats
with no candidates to oppose
Congressman Carl Pursell. Councilman
Earl Greene (D-Second Ward) agreed
to play the role of the sacrificial lamb
for his party in that race. However,
Greene's candidacy was hampered by a
significant detail: the Board of Can-
vassers ruled his name could not be on
the ballot because of some illegible
See CITY, Page 2
Minority services
open their doors
By JOHN SINKEVICS
The romantic sounds of mariachi
guitarists, dramatic poetry readings,
and Native American music drew hun-
dreds of curious and concerned studen-
y ts and faculty members-including a
hurried University President Robben
Fleming-to yesterday's second annual
Office of Minority Student Services'
open house in the Pendleton Room of
the Union.
The open house featured a variety of
dramatic and musical acts from
Asian-American, Hispanic, Black, and
Native American cultures, but although
the atmosphere was cheerful and
casual, many students attending the
event expressed, serious misgivings
over University administration at-
titudes towards the enrollment and
representation of minority students.
$:< ."I THINK THIS is a good start." said
Coalition for the Use of Learning Skills,
the Michigan Student Assembly, the
University Admissions Office, and
other University groups. Pamphlets
describing the various interests were
distributed, and members were on hand
to answer questions.
"Our organization (MSS) is designed
to reduce the red tape and bureaucratic
hassles that the minority student often
encounters," explained Richard
Garland, the Black Representative on
the MSS staff (who works with
representatives for Asian-Americans,
Native Ameicans, and Hispanic studen-
ts).
"THERE ARE times when a student
needs a service from a person who has
an understanding and a sensitivity to
his background and his problems," said
Garland, referring to the four represen-
tatives.