e m Akhgan 3maiha
Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Gregory pushes
change
By CLIFFORD BROWN
Tuesday, September 10, 1974
News Phone: 764-0552 (
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Pardon: 1he final coverup
AFTrER A WELL received speech in
Trueblood Auditorium Friday night,
Dick Gregory came to Alice Lloyd Hall
to talk informally with Pilot Program
students,.
By audience demand, Gregory styed
past 1 a. m. rapping with students on
all topics ranging from the Russian
grain deal to his own personal diet.
Reiterating his belief in the power of
youth's moral force, Gregory stated that
this is the first time in U. S. history
when women, minorities, gays, students
and the poor have protested together,
calling for social change. These com-
bined forces can, \and must rearrange
this country's priorities, he asserted.
Gregory cited little known facts about
the Chappaquidick incident and some re-
cent political assinations and questioned
the extent of C.I.A. involvement in these
events. In contrast, he noted, nine-year-
old kids can find dope pushers and po-
lice can't. Gregory's thought provoking
talk raised a delighted response from the
500 Pilot Program students who had
heard him speak at Trueblood.
Gregory's appearance was the first
part of an experimental, one credit Pilot
course dealing with personal and social
change which will span the first four
weeks of the term in an attempt to dis-
cuss some of the ways students can
change society. The course will include
speakers, workshops, films and panel
discussions on some of the problems
surrounding social change. Gregory, de-
scribed by some as a self-styled humani-
tarian, raised a number of issues that
confront people trying to effect and
deal with change.
Gregory got agreement from his au-
dience when he stated that the Univer-
sity gives students indoctrination rather
than true knowledge. He praised the
Pilot Program for being a socially con-
scious program that is truly concerned
with education. He said he was happy
that Pilot students recognize their moral
force and try to put it into action, and
he expressed surprise that a program
like Pilot existed within an institution
like the University.
Dick Munson's Pilot's director, com-
mented that Gregory's appearance
sparked a great deal of enthusiasm and
debate within Alice Lloyd. "I hope the
energy continues," he said. "Mr. Greg-
ory raised a lot of questions we must
try to answer and he suggested a lot of
actions we should take. He excellently
introduced our concerns for personal and
social change.
N THE STRANGE saga of Richard
Nixon, there is an element of
personal tragedy. The man who rode
triumphant through the streets of
Washington 19 months ago now sits
'alone by the sea, pondering the end
of a presidency. His family and
friends have been made to suffer dur-.
ing the long dance of death proceed-
ing abdication. One cannot help but
feel' some small sadness, not for the
presidency that is over, or for the
power that is gone, but for the per-
sonal hurt caused by the dark obscen-
ity of Watergate.
There is, however, a greater trag-
edy in the events of the past two
years, a public tragedy, or as Presi-
dent Ford put it, an "American trag-
edv." It is a tragedy of secrecy, scan-
dal, and betrayal, a tragedy of the
most serious consequences to the
American democracy.
By acting Sunday to pardon the
former president for all illegal acts
he may have committed in the White
House, Ford has bertayed his coun-
try's trust by denying the American
people a public hearing into this trag-
edy.
THE PRESIDENT SAID he was act-
ing out of mercy for Mr. Nixon
and the country when he granted the
pardon. In Ford's words, "It is not
the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon
that most concerns me . . . but the
immediate future of this great coun-
try . . . My conscience says it Is my
duty, not merely to proclaim domes-
tic tranquility, but to use every
means I have to ensure it."
We de not believe, .and can never
believe, that tranquality will be re-
stored to this country until the great-
est threat to he Constitution since
the Alien and Sedition Acts is laid
bare for the people to see.
The pardon of Richard Nixon has
removed from the reaches of Ameri-
can justice the central figure in this
conspiracy against d e m o c r a c y.
Though he still may testify at the
trials of less fortunate aides, and his
tapes will be held in trust by the
courts, Richard Nixon will be reliev-
ed of his responsibility for facing
the people of the United States at a
public trial - and history will be de-
nied a full look into our greatest gov-
ernmental crisis.
IF PRESIDENT FORD sincerely
thought that by his arbitrary ac-
tion he could restore domestic tran-
quility, we must believe that he has
made a serious mistake.
Instead of soothing unrest, Ford
has further exposed the suspicions
we developed after a continual suc-
cession of lies and doubletalk ema-
,nated from the Watergate affair.
Trust in politicians and the govern-
mental process itself has diminished
to a ludicrous point.
By shielding Richard Nixon from
justice under the guise of "mercy,"
the president has shown an appalling
lack of understanding for the peo-
ple he serves. Ford's disregard for
the American legal process shows a
disregard for the American citizenry.
And his action in removing the
threat of public trial from the shoul-
ders of Richard Nixon makes a mock-
ery of an "open presidency."
Ford will not restore peace to the
country by this last Watergate cover-
up.
-THE DAILY STAFF
Gregory
Deflating myths about unions
.,. --
Editor's note:
The following is the next in a
series of interviews with Myra
Wolfgang and Bob Alpert of the
Hotel and Restaurant Employes
union local 24. The Daily wel-
comes all submissions on this
issue. Address any responses to
Letters to the Editor.
By MARNIE HEYN
Myra: And now every bus-
boy in the state is getting 24
cents an hour less, thinks to Win
Schuler and his one big happy
family. And there's this whole
concept of "insiders" and "out-
siders" - you know, it really
becomesquite shocking to me
that we still have to explain it.
It seems to me so basic that
in unity there's strength, but to
a lot of people, it become just
a figure of speech that they
don't accept. But in unity there
IS strength. And in contract
negotiations, that's one of the
concerns of the employers -
and a very justified concern-
how is the contract negotiated?
The contract is negotiated by
the employes. They elect the
bargaining committee. They
develop their demands. Usual-
lv someone from the union sits
in that, and that's what the em-
ployes are paying them for, to
receive that kind of service.
All you have to do is look
around Ann Arbor, where there
has been no organization, and
it's the only place around where
you still find people working for
a dollar an hour.
Bob: There's another thing,
too. There's an attitude on the
part of the employer that stu-
dents can really be super-ex-
ploited because they're really
not, you know, human beings
like everybody else. They don't
need the money. They're going
to school, and after all they're
younger, and allegedly not sup-
porting families-
Myra: And the employes are
supporting them!
Bob: And therefore they then
say, "Okay, we can pay less,
we don't have to pay overtime,
because after all you need this
money desperately to get
through school and survive and
whole question of migrant
workers, we were the only peo-
ple who insisted that they be
covered by the law-and it sure
wasn't because I was looking
for dues money. In a time when
the state was supposedly broke,
they wanted to set up piece
rates for farmworkers, and in
order to set that piece rate, they
authorized a study by Michi-
gan State University for $25,-
argument that outsiders are
coming in. Management hires
accountants, attorneys,- busi-
ness consultants, all kinds of ex-
perts at enormous salaries.
For example, they'll hire a
labor lawyer to run their cam-
paign against the union, to give
them all kinds of details - I
don't know a labor lawyer who's
getting less than $50 an hour-
okay, you take the $50 an hour
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"In a time when the state was supposedly broke, they wanted to
set up piece rates for farmworkers, and in order to set that piece
rate, they authorized a study by MSU for $25,000 just on apples,
... I wanted to vomit. I said "If it's $25,000 just for apples, how
much is it gonna cost the state by the time we get to zucchini?"
-Myra Wolfgang
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Knievel isappoints vulture
what have you, and we don't
have to give you the fringes,"
and they deliberately use -
and abuse - students in this
way; and they even tried to
raise the argument before the
legislature that students should
have a lower minimum wage.
Andathey raised the issue that
they were going to take their
restaurants out of the state.
But when you turn around, that
may be opening two out of state,
but are opening four in Michi-
gan.
Myra: And it seems to me
that there should be something
left of the idealism of students.
Maybe I don't need it, but
somebody's going to remain
washing dishes who isn't going
to be able to emerge out of the
industry. Our union - and I
can say this without any fear
of contradiction - was the one
responsible for any kind of min-
imum wage law in the state.
And when it came to the
000 just on apples.
At that time I was a member
of the Wage Deviation Board
and I wanted to vomit. I said,
"If it's $25,000 for apples, how
much is it gonna cost the state
by the time we get to zuc-
chini?" Let me read something
to you on what happened to
farm workers, and this is with
someone in there fighting.
Do you know that for addi-
tional housing deductions of
farm workers, a deduction of
8 cents an hour is possible for
single worker occupancy, an
additional deduction is permis-
sible for each additional bed-
room, and 3 cents an hour for
family occupancy. Then there
are additional "conveniences"
for which deductions are made:
for heat, 4 cents an hour, for
a toilet an additional 2 cents an
hour, for a shower, 1 cent an
hour, for a refrigerator, 1 cent
an hour.
Bob: There's this interesting
and you consider the fact that
this labor lawyer's main inter-
est is to run up a big bill, so
his purpose is to do everything
he can to postpone any rea-
sonable settlement between the
parties, and that's considered
to be okay.
But when a worker or a group
of workers say, "We want to
hire somebody who is skilled
in the ways of collective bar-
gaining and knows their way
around an argument," then
that's considered to be a ter-
rible deed.
A foreign invasion.
Bob: Yeah, the Martians.
It seems like a superfluous
issue, one they haul out when
they're pinched.
Bob: It's standard. Theother
thing they haul out is "The un-
ion can't really do anything for
you, because we don't have to
bargain-
Myra: We can say no.
Bob: And if you don't like it,
then you're gonna go on strike
and lose all your income.
Myra: That's a genuine con-
cern. That's the reason that a
lot of workers are fearful, be-
cause they need that income,
they have to have that job.
I can't imagine anybody any-
where in the whole world is
washing dishes because they
like it. It's totally unstimulat-
ing. They're there because they
have to be there.
Bob: And the fact is that the
union has consistently raised
wages in every area.hFor ex-
ample, they say that they have
to be competitive, and that's
trute.
But what's also true is that
everywhere the union has gone
in, the whole wage structure
has risen and the fringe bene-
fits are higher. We've been
studying Ramada Inn booklets
from all over the country, and'
wherever the wage structure
of the surrounding community
is higher, their wages are high-
er. Now, why would Ramada
pay more money in one city and
less in another?
Because they can get away
wit it?
Bob: That's right. And when
the union structure is there,
they pay higher wages, The
presence of a union sets the
pattern of wages. So if Ann
Arbor is largely organized, then
Win Schuler's is gonna have
to pay a higher wage. And if
they're organized, they're also
going to have to bargain.
They're going to have to start
where they are now, and deal
across the table in good faith
with the needs and demands of
their employes.
Tomorrow: The Contract with
the Fringe on Top
EVEL KNIEVEL, the modern hybrid
of con and artist, has managed
to profit greatly, even from a colos-
sal downward - spiralling failure.
Strapped into his skycycle, Knievel
had planned to sail half a mile over
the depths of the Snake River Can-
yon and was instead dumped onto
the canyon floor, tumbled and mil-
lionaired many times over.
Knievel's promotion campaign and
his skycycle were both highly steam-
powered. In front page stories during
the week preceding the event, Knie-
vel had bravely philosophized on his
impending death and the experts
had soberly computed a 50-50 chance
of a safe landing of the skycycle, even
if it was piloted with the Evel touch.
And from the time of the stunt's
announcement until the rocket left
the ground, vast chunks of a gullible
public held their breaths and released
their dollars.
THE BLOOD MONEY in Knievel's
laden treasure chest of $6 to $20
million came from the pockets of
those who wanted to see a mortal
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dan Biddle, Cindy Hill, Mary
Long, Judy Ruskin, Tim Schick,
Steve Selbst
Editorial Page: Marnie Heyn, Becky
Warner
Arts Page: Ken Fink
Photo Technician: Steve Kagan
play mythical Superhero by throw-
ing himself over the rocky and fatal-
ly treacherous abyss with the chance
of killing himself in the process.
Knievel's stunt attracted crowds
for the same reason crumpled and
shattoered automobile pile-up do: a
curious interest by a violence - fed
public in a bloody or fatal denoue-
ment. Knuievel's attempt had the
structure of a planned and publiciz-
ed Lccident, and many of its spec-
tators paid with the subconscious
and 'gruesome hope of seeing the
brash braggart smash himself into a
walls. If he failed, Knievel promised
to provide as much violence as a GP-
rated movie.
His promise was not fulfilled. Kni-
evel did indeed fail, but he was pulled
out of the canyon with slight facial
cuts and huge financial, cuts of the
total take. There was grudging pub-
lic relief that he was all right, but a
slight disappointment that he had
not stimulated enough sweat glands
with throat - clutching and techni-
color drama. Had Knievel lost his life
in the try, he would have left a rich
surviving family, a colorful legend,
and thousands of thrilled and horri-
fied spectators, yet he would have
been a dead fool. Having survived,
even though in failure, he is merely
a wealthy one.
-BETH NISSEN
Letters
to,
The
Schuler' s
To The Daily:
FOR MORE than a year now
I have been shop steward at the
Ambassador Restaurant at the
Briarwood Hilton. During that
time we negotiated a contract
with a new owner, the McMullen
Corp.
Our new contract is, I be-
lieve, good for both labor and
management. Its major provis-
ions are:
the method of establishing
a union house and collecting
dues from all employes;
--hiring procedures, which in-
clude the owner's option to use
the union referral system and
the employer's obligation to
post al job openings for pre-
sent employes to bid on;
-the establishment of a sen-
iority list based on the em-
ploye's date of hire. This list is
used to determine workers'
rights to job mobility, overtime,
and prime scheduling;
-the grievance procedure;
-wages, vacations, etc., and
-insurance, pensions, and oth-
er benefits.,
There are those whoe say un-
ions are ruining this country.
How can that be when the
main purpose is to establish and
enforce fair work standards and
to give the worker a degree of
control over his/her situation?
There are those who say un-
ions are corrupt. This is un-
avoidable because unions a r e
people and some people are cor-
rupt just as some businesses
and businessmen are corrupt.
The important thing to remem-
ber is that fair and honest peo-
ple will fight reception and de-
mand an end to corrupt prac-
tices.
Our work force at the Am-
bassador Restaurant is compris-
ed largely of students who a r e
putting themselves through
school. Many have worked in
omy and the members of its
work force need not sacrifice
their integrity to retain their
jobs. Local 24 of the Hotel and
Restaurant Workers' Union pro-
vides fair treatment and bene-
fits to workers in the food in-
dustry.
-Mary S. Mueller
Shop Steward,
Briarwood Hilton
September 9
To The Daily:
WITH DEEP interest I have
read the first and second parts
of your interviews with Myra
Wolfgang and Bob Alpert. As a
worker, a former college stu-
dent and a former union mem-
ber (Carpenters 512), I c o m-
pletely support their efforts on
behalf of the Schuler's emplay-
es and I'm elated to learn that
people are starting to organize
the restaurant workers of Ann
Arbor.
It is a step that is long over-
due, for reasons I'm sure your
readers are painfully aware of.
However, I do think there is
room for discussion of the
means available to achieve re-
spectable wages and working
conditions.
Unionization (which necessar-
ily must proceed an a restaur-
ant by restaurant basis) is a
lengthy, time-consuming, and
costly process. Should the Schu-
1er's workers vote to unibnize, I
cannot forsee a "domino ef-
fect," whereby all of Ann Ar-
bor's restaurants would immed-
ntelv begin organizing. More
likely we would see an inter-
mittent, gradual org inizing
movement taking literally years
to complete.
Thoih I suport Local 24's
stragle nnequivocably, I do not
consider it an immediate solu-
tion to the immediate problem
of sweatshop wages and condi-
tions in Ann Arbor rent_5-urants
obvious. I believe there are
enough committed iadividuals to
gather the necessary 3,500 signa-
tures to put the issue on the
April ballot.
Ann Arbor is one of the more
inflation-ridden communities in
the nation. How long will this
city's working class be willing
to meekly submit to demean-
ing jobs at ridiculous wages?
How much further will condi-
tions have to deteriorate before
the working poor of Ann Arbor
decide to do something about
their plights?
You know what they say: unit-
ed we stand, divided we fall.
-David A. Dillon
September 9
To The Daily:
THE DAILY interview with
Myra Wolfgang and Bob Alpert
and the letter from David Klein
present a strong argument in
favor of restaurant unionization.
I would like to add my support
to the employes of Win Schul-
er's in their present effort to
organize.
I have worked at the Ambas-
sador Restaurant, a union
house, for 'one year. Working
with our union contract, we
have won medical and dental
benefits, a consistent policy of
overtime pay and a viable sen-
iority system. We enjoy a pay
rate that is among the highest
in Ann Arbor. The union backs
us in conflicts with management
and contract violations. The fear
of arbitrary dismissal, such as
Klein describes, has been eUm-
inated by our union organiza-
tioA. The union does not provoke
antagonism between manage-
ment and the employer, but es-
tablishes a fair and equitable
relationship.
The workers at the Ambassa-
dor fully support Schuler's em-
ployes in their upcoming union
election. Another union house in
Ann Arbor can *onlv benef'it all
tDaily
Rubin lost his academic post as
the foremost expertin the
U.S.S.R. in Chinese philosophy
in 1972 when he applied for a
visa to Israel. Recently he has
been suffering from a h e a r t
condition and was confined to
his home. Early in the morn-
ing of Sept. 4, he was dragged
from his bed and arrested on
the grounds of "parasitism" or
not doing useful work, which is
a crime in the Soviet Union.
We deplore this flagrant viola-
tion of human rights and the de-
nial of humane treazment
towards an ill man. We call on
all concerned readers of T b e
Daily to raise your voices in an-
ger and dismay by writing and
telegraphing your congressman
urging him to use his position to
pressure the Soviet officials to
release Mr. Rubin. We also ask
you to write and cable the Rus-
sian Embassy in Wasaington
and demand that they release
Mr. Rubin. Thank you.
-Sanford Levin
Brian Miller
Michele Breger
September 5
What's good for the mob
is good for the country
By BOB SEIDENSTEIN -
rVHE FBI RECENTLY releas-
ed its annual report on
crime in the United States and
as usual business in the field is
booming. In fact, the criminal
sector continues to be one of
the few healthy areas in an
otherwise ailing economy.
Obviously then, the nation's
economic policy-makers and the
leaders of so-called legitimate
businesses should study how the
criminals are able to keep net-
ting profits in the face of to-
day's financial crisis.
Fortunately, some industries
already have successfully em-
ployed the modern management
methods used by their brothers
in the criminal business.
The oil companies provide a
case in point. Who would deny
that they have profited by fol-
lowing such proven business
techniques? Their efforts should
be applauded.
NO BUSINESS demonstrates
the benefits of the laissez-faire
lowed to govern the market-
place?
In fact, the only reason t h a t
crime doesn't flourish to an
even greater extent is that gov-
ernmental -regulation in the
form of law enforcement serves
to hamper its beautifully pure
business practices.
The lessons to be drawn from
the relation of the business of
crime to the government are
clear and must be carefully con-
sidered at the upcoming econo-
mic summit conferences.
FIRST, LET US frankly admit
that crime does pay. Second,
we should remember that when
business was not bh.hered by
anti-trust laws and the Inter-
state Commerce Commission the
economy was in a beter state
than it is in now.
But the government, aside
from removing regulatiins from
business to make it more like
crime, should go one, step fur-
ther.
It should ac'tivelyenouaa
N V~~X~\ \.