IThursday,. February 20, 197
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Seven
..rdy eray2,19hTEMCIA AL
Anti-racism conference meets
150 remain in Ad. Bldg.
(Continued from Page 1)
A University of Michigan!
tudent listed the caucus' ma-'
or objections:
-the conference was being
anipulated by the Young So-
ailist Alliance,
-the black community of
oston was not properly repre-
ented,
-the selection of the Steer-
ng Committee for the confer-
nce was unfair,'
-the conference did not ap-
ear to concern itself directly
ith the question at hand -
he conflict in Boston.
Their dissension was brought
to a head during the second
plenary which convened that
evening, when the Black Cau-
cus and the rest of the confer-
ence clashed on various pro-
posals formulated during the,
workshops.
The original conference
group agreed to support the?
Boston busing plan, and de-
manded that federal troops be
called in to the city to protect
the black children.
THE BLACK Caucus opposed
the demand for troops, disa-
greed with the NAACP deseg-
regation plan and offered an al-
ternative plan which centered
on community control of
schools.
The disagreements develop-
ed into a verbal battle between
spokespersons for the Black'
Caucus, and members of the
Conference body.
The arguments climaxed
when the Caucus walked out of
the meeting, urging others to
join them.
They met for the remainder,
of the evening in a separate
room, and at the conclusion of
their session agreed to arrange
a meeting with the residents of
Roxbury, a black community
presently embroiled in the bus-
ing conflict.
IN ADDITION, they decided
to stage a demonstration pro-
testing racism in front of the'
home of the Governor of Mas-
sachusetts, Michael Dukakis.
The opening teach-in featur-
ed sixteen speakers including
Dr. Benjamin Spock, James
Meredith, Jonathan Kozol, au-
thor of Death at an Early Age
- and a direct participant in
the current busing program,
Cynthia Wade, a student lead-,
er at South Boston High.
Spock opened by congratu-
lating all the people attending
the conference and said, "I am
a great believer in conferences
of this kind because everything
helps a ilttle and in not help-
ing a problem you allow it to
exist."
ANOTHER speaker, Thomas
Atkins, President of the Bos-
ton National Association for the
Advancement of Colored Peo-
pIe (NAACP) attempted to set
the direction for the conference
by telling the enthusiastic audi-
ence, "They are trying to re-
create the nigger. But I say to
you today, the nigger is dead
and will never be created
again. Not a black one, brown
one, red one, yellow one, poor
white one and not a woman.
There will be no more Jim
Crow laws and there will be no
backing away from school de-
segregation - not one inch."
Despite the conflict, the con-
ference concluded on a note of
solidarity when the Black Cau-
cus and the rest of the confer-
ence agreed to organize a mas-
siveanti-racism march on
March 17.
Consensus among University
of Michigan students was that'
despite the ups and downs, the
conference was essentially pro-
ductive.
One student, expressing her
optimism, said "This confer-
ence has picked up the pieces
of the sixties Civil Rights
movement and will continue to
proceed."
(Continued from Page 1) schedule for negotiating withi
The Council issued a state- the Third World Coalition Coun-
ment late yesterday afternoon, cil"
approved 14-0 with two abstenr. Raymond Snowden, directr
tions, to "remain in the wiild- of the Coalition for the Use of
ing until physically removed or Learning Skills (CULS) and a
until the University sets a firm spokesman for the Black Fa-
I ulty and S t a f f Association
----------- -(BF
----- CLIP AND SAVE -r m..- - the
r f der
I I
. istr
r firr
!U lsaic
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a Phone Numbers :
Circulation
764-0558
r r{1
Classified Adv.
764-0557
r ,
Dis.ilay Adv.
764-0554
, ,
News
* WSI
764-0552 1
: Sports
764-0562
C L
v.---- CLIP AND SAVE .----s
FSA), read a statement byk
BFSA in support of the
ronstration.
WE QUESTION the admin-
ation's commitment to af-
mative a c t i o n," Snowden!
d. The group is also support-
ing the six demands.
The Graduate Employes' Or-
ganization (GEO) also issued a
statement in support of the
takeover.
"We (GEO) call upon the
University to negotiate in good
faith with the Third World Coal-
ition Council, and not to resort
to violence in response to their
peaceful sit-in," said the unani-
mously passed statement. GEO
supports each of the demands
except recognition of the Coun-
cil as the official negotiating
agent for University minorities.
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ummem'
ublet
upplenent
is coming March 23, 1975.
Now is the time to submit your ad for.this
annual event. Forms may be found in the Daily,
at various locations around campus, or at the
Student Publications Bldg., 420 Maynard St.
Hurry-the first deadline is March 7, 1975.
POETRY READING
withI
Lawrence Goldstein
Reading from his works
Thursday, Feb. 20-7:30 p.m.
at GUILD HOUSE
802 Monroe
The experiences that have "carved" your real achievements
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Order on Ring Day and save 5%.
--on all sales regardless of trade-in
In the MICHIGAN UNION LOBBY
FEB. 20, 21, & 24-11 a.m.-4 p.m.
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FEBRUARY 20, 1975
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February 18, 1975
It has been the view of the University Administra-
tion, Negotiating Team, and the Advisory Committee
that the present strike of the Graduate Employee
Organization could be settled by consistent good faith
bargaining on both sides.
Criticism has been directed at the University for
not more fully setting forth its position, but this has
been done deliberately to allow maximum opportunity
to settle the dispute at the only place it can be settled,
namely, the bargaining table.
The time has now come for the University to state
as fully as possible where it stands. There have been
a number of difficult bargaining issues. By early De-
cember, we reached tentative agreement on these
issues:
No loss of pay resulting from jury duty, free text-
books, library privileges, right to review of one's em-
ployment file, automatic pay check deductions for
union dues, and a complaint and grievance procedure.
Also, freedom from coercion or discrimination because
of union membership; and the obligation ofda depart-
ment or other unit to provide supplies, duplicating
service, and building and office access to its student
assistants.
Progress continued through December, with tenta-
tive agreements initialed on life and health insurance
benefits, sick leave, notice of appointment and re-
appointment, and University provided desk space and
bulletin boards.
Through three subsequent meetings with a state
appointed mediator in January failed to settle all the
remaining issues, the process enabled negotiators to
agree on three more areas: pretermination review pro-
cedures, agreement to a contract expiration date of
August 31, 1976, and a promise of no adverse conse-
quences for attending employer scheduled grievance
meetings.
Progress on the issues continued last week in daily
bargaining sessions. Negotiators r e a c h e d tentative
agreement on three issues: nondiscrimination, affirma-
tive action, and definition of fraction.
As of today, the University and GEO are close to
agreement on a consultation provision. Under this pro-
vision departments or units would provide the GEO the
opportunity to confer on the implications of changes in
GSA funding, average appointment fractions, or the
number of GSA's to be employed.
In the University view, the principal issues that are
left are economics, class size, recognition, and agency
shop (under which all TA's and RA's would be required
to become members of the union after being hired or
to pay a service fee to the union equal to the amount.
of the dues).
ECONOMICS
However justified the economic demands of the
GEO, it is obvious to all that the University is in finan-
cial trouble. It has been required to cut back the
current year's budget by $1.5 million, and is about to
receive another State directive which will require an-
other significant cutback. These cutbacks this late in
the fiscal year are very difficult to meet. For the next
fiscal year, 1975-76, we already know that our base for
this year is being reduced by 4 percent. We will prob-
ably not know before mid-summer what the final
budget will be. .
It is absurd to suppose that the University can make
arrangements with various groups with respect to pay
and perquisites for the future without considering its
budgetary situation. The money has to come from
somewhere. It is obviously not going to come from the
State for fiscal 1975-76. That means it is either going
to come from increased tuition or, cutbacks beyond
University and GEO as an appropriate reference group.
This group includes Big Ten institutions, Michigan in-
stitutons, Harvard, Columbia, California (Berkeley),
Texas, Prnceton and Stanford.
The 1974-75 average income for teaching assistants
in the Big Ten is as follows: (1) Wisconsin-$4450; (2)
Illinois-$3308; (3) Michigan and Minnesota-$3294; (5)
Iowa-03248; (6) Ohio State-$3079; (7) Michigan State
-$3012; (8) Northwestern and Indiana-$3000; (10)
Purdue-$2880.
September 1, 1975, the University is prepared to
implement a salary increase of 5.6 percent or a percent
equal to the established salary increase percentage for
the 1975-76 instructional staff salary program, which
ever is greater. In addition, the University has pro-
posed a graduate student assistant tiution rate of $440
per term for eight or more credits ($353 for 6 credits),
subject to any increase that may occur in tuition for
other graduate students.
CLASS SIZE
The class size issue is one on which the University
cannot permit itself to be governed by contractual
restrictions. In discussing class size, factors that must
be considered include: educational policy, faculty de-
termination on how best to operate the department;
the impact of technological change, cost, and the fact
that policy and practice vary enormously in different
parts of the campus. In addition, it is impossible for
the University to obligate itself to meet GEO financial
demands while at the same time accepting restrictions
on its ability to generate funds internally to meet these
demands.
RECOGNITION
The bargaining unit certified by the Michigan Em-
ployment Relations Commission (MERC) is all GSA's
(teaching, research and staff assistants), excluding
supervisors and other employes.
There is agreement between the parties that one
must be a "student in good standing in a U-M graduate
degree program" before he or she can be appointed
or continue as a GSA.
However, there are differences. The Advisory Com-
mittee holds that such employment should be "pre-
determined by the University through a department or
unit to be advantageously related to the student's edu-
cational goal."
According to GEO, appointment to the unit should
be based on the duties to be performed and not on
whether it is advantageously related to the student's
educational goal.
AGENCY SHOP
The Agency Shop is a common provision in labor
contracts. We have it in a number of our present con-
tracts. It is complicated in this case because the GEO
appears still to represent less than half of the TA's
and RA's; the representation is strongest in LSA and
very weak in some of the other colleges; to impose
the requirement of joining the union or paying a service
fee on those who do not wish to join is a distasteful
course of action, particularly in an academic group.
It would be most unfortunate for any graduate student
to lose employment and the ability to meet degree
requirements because of nonpayment of such a fee.
PRESENT SITUATION
Both GEO and the University have expressed the
hope that there would be no violence or illegal acts
during the strike. Even so, there have been more than
a dozen false fire alarms, 60-70 tires slashed, and a
bomb threat, which disrupted a scheduled examina-
tion. Unlike strikes in the public school system, it is
not going to be possible to make up lost time. The
trimester system allows no expansion of the term, and
to ask students to stay during the scheduled spring
vacation would impose further board and room costs
which are unjustified. Meanwhile, striking employes
will not be paid and these losses are accumulating.
I I