Page 4-Sunday, March 25, 1979-The Michigan Daily 'U' Cellar's battle to The Michigan Daily-Sunday, Marc keep collectivism bein e couni B ETWEEEN THE University Cellar's aisles of books, pens, calculators, back- backs, greeting cards, vitamins, posters, and records, a tense calni has settled. Housed in a corner in the basement of the Mich- igan Union, the Cellar has provided University students with discounts on books and supplies for almost a decade. The people who work there are students, or have been students, and are therefore concerned with the service the Cellar provides. Carefully hand-lettered signs scattered throughout the departments symbolize the employees' com- mitment to the store. But lately an undertone of uneasiness has tinged the Cellar's working con- ditions. An uncomfortable schism exists between em- ployees and management, the product of conflicting theories about the way the store should be operated. People on both sides of the split are convinced that their own way is the most efficient and viable method to serve the University community. The ideologies and personalities differ widely, but the two factions have a common goal: to create the best University Cellar possible. Two issues stand out amid numerous sidelights surrounding the on-going controversy: One is the management's desire to create a hierarchical job structure within the store, a concept that Cellar employees vehemently oppose; the other is a void in communiction, which has compounded issues and fostered a sense of mistrust in a situation where faith is sorely needed. The characters in the conflict are many, the issues complex, and the situation is shrouded in an air of alienation and frustration. Employees agree that working conditions at the Cellar are tense. That tension is not always obvious to Cellar patrons. But for the employees, the threat of a structure that would eliminate the workers' traditional role in decision-making has colored their conversation, relationships with each fiber and management, and even one employee's dre ms. For the management, a structure is necessary to maintain a line of accountability, which it claims the store currently lacks. "It's been a tradition among all the em- ployees-the work we do is work for the store. The money we bring in is literally what runs the store. There is a strong feeling we ought to be involved in the store," explained Lucy Bjorklund, Cellar em- ployee and secretary of Industrial Workers of the Elizabeth Slowik is the Daily Features editor. World (IWW) Local 60, which. represents Cellar workers. That feeling is shared by both union and non-union employees. "A lot of non-union people want control over the way they work. That runs throughout the store," added Bjorklund, a Cellar employee for three years. The Cellar operates on a collective basis, with just one manager and one assistant manager for the en- tire store, although certain departments have opted for elected managers. Workers provide input on decision-making, including ordering; hiring, and firing within departments. A hierarchical structure, employees fear, will dissolve that input channel. .But things just aren't getting done efficiently, management claims, and a structure will ensure that specific tasks are completed. By Elizabeth Slowik decision-making. The University Cellar Board of Directors' decision to implement the new structure, which was made minus worker input, was labelled "despicable" and "a slap in the face" at the time by several employees. Board members and: management agree that they way in which the em- ployees were notified lacked consideration. "We realize our method wasn't right. We probably didn't do it the best way," said literary college sophomore Nelson Jacobsen, who is vice- president of the board. "The organization, the structure was announced by the board," said Bradley. "And I think what was most upsetting to the employees, I believe, was the manner in which it was done. I don't think a lot of people were entirely uncomfortably with what was done." I Calculator coordinator Lisa Blake, who is on the IWW negotiating committee, called the Feb. 16 structure "the most herarchical chain of com- mand-Tudor, John, two more very highly-paid supervisory people, and then a whole bunch of un- der supervisors-as much more structured as you could possibly make it with only 7 employees, in my opinion. They said, 'It will be implemented within the week, from people within the store, and if people within the store don't apply for that, in another week we'll have people from outside in those positions.' It was the most incredible, 'Take that,' you know, 'you son-of-a-guns.' It was like throwing down the gauntlet." And the gauntlet was readily accepted by union membes. The following Monday, 31 Cellar workers called in sick, and on Tuesday all employees but 25 were sick, according to Blake. Employees also Photos by Maureen O'Malley signed a written response opposing the proposed implementation of the plan. "For some reason, it seems like 35 people got sick on Monday," said cashier coordinator Kevin Wat- son. "I don't know how it happened, but we all g 'U' Cellar manager Tudor Bradley "The lack of organization or structure within the store was probably something that's been a concern of the board for some time," said Tudor Bradley, manager of the Cellar since 1977.. "It's hard to have 80 people know enough about the management of the organization to be totally responsible for the management of the organization," said assistant manager John. Sap- pington. "That's not what they're hired for." On Feb. 16 a notice was posted in the Cellar outlining a hierarchical structure which called for two more assistant managers and four department supervisors to absorb current worker authority in sick together. I was sick, so I called in. And evn thati didn't demonstrate to them how strongly we feel about this issue." "There was a pretty strong indication of union solidarity a couple of weeks ago with the sick-ins," commented Fred Chase, used book buyer and another member of the union bargaining team. Cellar employees, divided this past winter by the union drive, have become more cohesive during the last few weeks, according to Chase. "I'm not convinced that there's a great deal of conflict between the union and the non-union workers," Chase said. "We're all looking for some kind of structure that's going to involve workers in decision-making. They may hve some disagreements about what is the ideal structure, but we're all leaning towards that goal. There is a fair^ amount of tension. I think everybody would like to see this whole thing resolved." "Myself, I see the union as much interference as management in operation, how things get done," said non-union employee John Hickox. "They can be as much an extra thing to deal with day-to-day as management. With the coming of the union, we've lost the ability to deal directly with management. I'd like to see a situation where people have control over their work situation." Yet an implicit rift exists among employees. Those who sympathize with management, such as Bruce Weinberg of the records department, are viewed with suspicion by union members. "Most people in the store don't think too much of where I'm coming from," admitted Weinberg, a nine-yer Cellar veteran whose salt-and-pepper hair belies his 30 years. L ISA BLAKE says she is relieved when she is greeted by a "good morning" instead of blank stares or under-the-breath comments. Working at the Cellar during the current crisis has been a strain for Blake., "In the last two days I've had two tranquilizers, six aspirin, and one APC-3, a pain killer. I get migraine headaches from the tension," explained Blake, as she released her long dark hair from the clip which held it back. "Working there is tense. And it's been personally nasty. I'm surprised, you know, subtle nastiness. That makes me really unhappy." "The situation is fairly tense right now," added Bjorklund. "But, on the other hand, for the time I've been here, the situation has always been tense. So it may be just a matter of degree. . . There is a certain drawing of the lines where people won't talk to each other about the union situation. But people are still working together. Probably the best example is the records department, where two of the four people in that department are on negotiating teams, one on each side." Part of the reason for the uneasy situation at the Cellar is the gap in the communications network, which assistant manager John Sappington said he hopes will be filled by a new strucutre. Idealistically, Sappington noted, "One individual forms the communications link in a network. And they are responsible for knowing what's going on with people who are working in their general area. as well as responsible for knowing how that general area fits into the total picture of what's needed in the store. And their continuity of information in communications is necessary. And I find it impossible for the group to maintain that without focusing on an individual. "We tried to work with the situation," Sappington continued. "We tried for a long time to work with that. There's just an inability to see why the manager wants something, and if the manager's not able to communicate to them, or prove with figures and facts that this is the way to go, then they just sit back and say, 'Oh, why I'm not gonna do that.' So there's no responsibility, taken. The responsibility diffuses." A Winter 1978 study conducted by graduate students and Professor lBJ. White of the Graduate School of Business confirms the kinks in Cellar communiction lines. The survey, commonly known as the White Report, states that "an aggregate of the data shows there is a great deal of dissatisfac- tion with communication within the U-Cellar. Problems here have been compounded by growth .and change . . . Addressing this issue of com- munication flow between management and the workers and between the Board and workers in an open, two-way process would be a first step toward establishing the trust that is apparently lacking now. An analysis of the data collected from the em- ployees shows that only 13 per cent agree with the" statement that co-workers can't be trusted. However, 79 per cent agree that the Board can't be 1971, on the premise that he would provide a liason between employees and management and the board. While Bradley and Sappington are opposite in ap- pearance, their philosophies on the Cellar are sur- prisingly similar. Bradley is in his 50s. a man of medium height whose concept of management is as disparate to his employees' as his age. What may be Bradley's only adaptation to Cellar style is his switch from the three-piece suit of the conventional manager to a simple shirt and sweater. O N THE other hand, Sappington is lanky, his blond hair tied in a pony tail which hangs to the middle of his back. He wears blue jeans, as do many who work at the Cellar, but his conversion to Bradley's views have set him apart. He has worked at the Cellar since 1972. Bradley spent 25 yers with the W.T. Grant com- pany, a chain of discount department stores. At Grant, Bradley progressed through a managerial system similar to otherlarge department stores. He was hired at the Cellar by a committee consisting of three employees and three Board of Directors. Much of the blame for the has been tossed on Bradley can recant a tale of Bradley munication, usually culmin dings. and hurt feelings. A tripped over many liberal 'U "I have no personal hos said Chase. "I think he's ma store in ways that are not in store. I think he's an old-fa new-fashioned store; that v don't relate to his experience Most employees reiterate some with more bitterness t the initial adjustment peri business after a shift in man possible cause for the resent Others are more harsh in the "People just don't think he cashier Watson. "Tudor does store. Basically all he can along the lines of a 'textbook ... It's just the way he is. with people at all; outside whatnot. Compared to the had before Tudor came in, it take over. The compar ridiculous." Watson and others noted pick out certain employees and depend on them to relay of the workers. Whether a sii tion skills or the residue fror ventional management, this alienated many Cellar emplo "He's pulled out departme wants to relate to as de claimed Chase, "whether tl as such or not. That's bee some people who don't vie in a managerial role, wh( - authority for hiring and firin As Bradley has had prod employees, so has Sappingt See CELLAR ' t - - .t at. . . 'ti I 'The,&U'"Ce'la,Boa jftDir4eferdiscusses the aogoing controversy about Cellar management.