letter frout the editor
Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Krasny,
HRP
clash on accountability
JI
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
News Phone: 764-0552
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1973
Long autumn for.Woodcock
THE -UNITED Auto Workers (UAW)
seem to have worked Chrysler into
several substantial concessions in the
tentative contract agreed to Monday by
negotiators. Whether or not the pact will
be ratified by the rank and file remains
to be seen.
A wage increase was, of course, an
item involved in the negotiations, and a
hike of a little more than five per cent
in the first year and three per cent the
next -two were agreed upon. However,
this year the issue of wages was probably
not the most important one. Bargaining
over "30-and-out", voluntary overtime
and a dental program were considered
more important, for successes on these
issues could not be easily destroyed by
inflation.
Perhaps the major breakthrough in the
proposed. contract is the so-called "30-
and-out" provision which would enable
workers to retire without monetary pen-
alties after thirty years on the job, no
matter what their age.
rTHIS PROVISION, which is very popu-
lar with the UAW membership, will
enable workers to salvage productive
years of their lives away from the mono-
tonous routine of factory labor.
An appareitly strong dental program,
for which Chrysler will pay ten cents per
hour to pay for employe dental costs,
was also agreed to.
The UAW rank and file may, find the
provisions for health and safety to be
somewhat less agreeable, however. Pro-
mises of regular checks by both manage-
ment and union inspectors of plant con-
ditions seem rather vague, lofty as the
intent may be. And a promise of a com-
pany study in the future of the health as-
pects of certain types of work, such as
foundry jobs, may also be less than satis-
fying to many workers.
IT IS THE voluntary overtime issue,
though, which may breed the most
dissension within the ranks. Although
UAW President Leonard Woodcock has
praised the voluntary 'overtime section
highly, in reality it is the essence of com-
promise-a compromise the rank and
file may not accept.
Basically, the agreement is that no
worker may be forced to work more than
nine hours a day or six days a week, and
may take every third Saturday off. This
is a substantial reduction from twelve
hour days and seven day weeks, but
Chrysler can still force its workers to
work more than eight hours a day, five
days a week.
Workers would seem justified if they
feel that the union leadership "sold them
down the river" on this issue, especially
in the light of the years unions battled
for the right to the eight hour day.
IF THE WORKERS reject the proposed
contract, it means the strike goes on
and the negotiators must begin anew to
hammer out a Chrysler contract.
S.hould workers decide the advantages
of the rest of the tentative contract out-
weigh the disadvantages of the overtime
provision, General Motors and Ford may
avoid tradition and not agree to the
terms of the Chrysler contract.
Overall, it may be a long autumn for
Woodcock and the UAW negotiators.
By CHRISTOPHER PARKS
CITY COUNCILMAN Jerry D e
Grieck (HRP-1st Ward) thinks
Ann Arbor's appointed officials
should have to come before coun-
cil and answer questions.
The specific official he has in
mind is Police Chief Walter Kras-
ny, whose public statements of the
last week have left many here with
the strong impression that a "get
tough" policy or marijuana use
is being implemented.
What De Grieck wants to know
from Krasny is what precisely is
the departmental policy on the
marijuana question. And he wants
Krasny to appear in person so that
he can be quizzed by council mem-
bers in a public forum.
The chief thinks otherwise. He
has refused to come before council
unless ordered to do so by the
administration. And at Monday
night's city council meeting, the
administration made it abundant-
ly clear that they have no inten-
tion of issuing such an order.
THIS CONFLICT provoked a
scene at the council m e e t i n g
which typlifies the way Republi-
cans are running things now.
De Grieck gave an impassioned
speech castigating Krasny for his
arrogance and demanding the op-
portunity to question him in an
open and public forum.
As he spoke, Mayor Jim Stephen-
son learned back in his s w i v e 1
chair and gazed distractedly at the
ceiling. Across the council table,
his GOP cohorts giggled and grin-
ned.
City Administrator Sy Murray
suggested that DeGrieck could see
Krasny privately and ask any ques-
tion he wished. The councilman de-
clined, saying the quizzing should
be open and public.
DE GRIECK asked if it would
be necessary for him to bring a
resolution before council demand-
ing Krasny's appearance. The Re-
publicans answered that it would,
knowing well that the vote on such
a resolution would likely be De-
Grieck and two Democrats "yes,"
and seven Republicans "no".
Face flushed and voice rising,
DeGrieck castigated the Repub-
lican-controlled council for arro-
gance. The GOP members chortled
openly.
'Sadly, thoughout the whole scene,
the council's two Democrats-Nor-
ris -Thomas (D-1st Ward) and Carol
Jones (D-2nd Ward) - looked on
impassively, offering no support to
De Grieck's lonelly cause.
So Krasny will not come before
the council.
HE WON'T come because he
doesn't want to, and no one is go-
ing to make him.
For years, Krasny has been run-
ning the Police Department as he
sees fit, consulting only his ad-
ministrative bosses and ignoring
the more difficult road of. explain-
ing his policies to the city's elect-
ed representatives.
The exact meaning of Krasny's
recent ominius comments about
marijuana smokers remains un-
clear. But the signs are not encour-
aging.
Sources familiar with local law
enforcement are openly comment-
ing that Krasny is making himself
a willing tool of Mayor Stephen-
son's drive to crack down on the
counter-culture.
The conspiratdrial theory gains
creedence when Krasny, with the
enthusiastic backing of Stephen-
son, declines to show up at city
hall -to explain himself.
OTHER CITY department heads
are not allowed the luxury Krasny
claims for himself. 4
The city administrator and city
attorney have to attend each city
council meeting and are available
at all times for questioning.
The head of the planning depart-
ment is frequentlyacalled down
for a brisk grilling.
But not Walter.
bothered.
He can't be
De Griecks' right. Krasny's at-
titude is the height of arrogance.
But that's all part of the way the
Republicans are' running the city
now.
THE AFL-CIO's Fred Veigel ap-
peared before council during the
same meeting wanting to know
why Mayor Stephenson has refused
to proclaim "Union Label Week".
Mayors all across the country have
done pit. Even Governor Milliken
(a Republican) has done it. But
Stephenson won't. He says the is-
sue is controversial and acidly
comments that the union labelis
considered by "many" (himself,
perhaps) as a "symbol of coer-
cion."
No names are available yet,
but strongindications are that
when the Democrats go about
picking city council candidates for
the left-leaning First and Second
Wards, young women will be at the
top of the list. The Dems are very
pleased with the victory of Carol
Jones in the Second last spring,
and feel that running a woman -
especially if the Human Rights
Party runs a man - will give them
an edge.
* * * .
DEGRIECK and Council Demo-
crats want the city police depart-
ment to stop harrassing bicyclists.
Monday night they raised I o u d
complaints about' the newly imple-
mented policy of ticketing bikes
d
Chief Krasny
lyocked to parking meters on the
sidewalk, saying it is having the
effect of actively discouraging bi-
cycling inathe city.
Mayor Stephenson loftily p r o
claimed that as long as he was
mayor, all the laws would be en-
forced. Disgruntled liberals in .at-
tendance were overheard pointing
out that a city law, calling for
housing code inspection at least
every 2 years, has been rendered
unenforcable by Stephenson-inspir-
ed personnel cuts.
Christopher parks is co-editor-in-
chief of The Daily.
Leaving bad enough alone
CORRUPTION AND random annihila-
tion are standard procedure in
southern Vietnam.' Hunger and mutila-
tion are so commonplace as to pass un-
noticed. Even the rich must sell jewels,
yachts, and second homes to- get food,
now that American servicemen are no
longer present to support the black mar-
ket.
News from Cambodia reads like notes
of a chess match, or "capture the flag"
at camp. "Government" troops have re-
taken the university campus at Kompong
Cham at a reported cost of 8,000 casual-
ties, divided of course into columns la-
beled "we" and "they". Highway 4 is
"clear," Highways 1 and 5 are "blocked."
At present, no one speaks of the real lives
that go on, or end:
In tranquil Thailand, the U.S. Agency
for International Development quietly
prepares to take another census. The fact
that the Thas inanaged to take their
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Bill Heenan, Jack Krost, Judy Rus-
kin, Charlie Stein, Ted Stein
Editorial Page: Mornie Heyn, Za c h a r y
Schiller, Eric Schoch
Arts Page: Diane Levick, Jeff Sorensen
Photo Technician: Terry McCarthy
own censuses for hundreds of years goes
unobserved.
And only a few will remember that the
last U.S.A.I.D. census provided the out-
line for "pacification," when . the U.S.
military "relocated" dozens of Thai
tribes for the building of U. S. air bases.
AT THE SAME time, the C.I.A. "re-
moved' influential tribal leaders,
kindly pointed out by "neutral" anthro-
pologists, some from our University. In
the AI.D. budget, this was called "popu-
lation control for underdeveloped coun-
tries."
And Laos now has a coalition govern-
ment, the third in fifteen years. So the
U. S. government leaves Laotian politics
much the way it found them.
However, the American presence is ap-
parent in other places: the Plain of Jars
looks like the far side of the moon; Laos
joins a growing list of nations with re-
fugee populations; and there is famine
for the first time in Laotian history. But,
for a while, the fighting has stopped.
The accord in Laos should be the model
for future U. S. foreign policy in Indo-
china: Withdraw all troops and military
aid, and let the Indochinese determine
their own internal politics.
Letters to The Daily
rebuttal is wounded even more deep
this thrust of the right. The
To The Daily: sage is only too clear: ther
ful will protect their intere.
THERE ARE a nuTnber of points the extreme.
in Martin Stern's letter with which --Ray Faith, grad
one is tempted not only to take is- .Sept 1
sue, but which in fact induce in
the writer of this one a profound
sense of disgust.rieo
The description of the Chilean To The Daily:
military take-over as a "revolu- LAST SPRING, somebody
tion" broadens the meaning of this me a ride to Pittsburgh. 0
term to such an extreme as to way back we discussed th
render it totally vacuous. Or, sibility of establishing a cit
again, the comparison of a North telephone service that co
American conservative electoral those offering rides with thos
victory in Ann Arbor with a bloody desire them. The Union bi
fascist overthrow in Latin America board offers a similar servi
is obscene to say the least. The the board is in a state of di
same kind of vile thread continues most of the time. also, one
throughout the letter. come to the Union to see
Ofscourse,thiswriterhis at least that may be inconvenient for
as biased as the author of the people, especially non-studen
letter to which this is a reply. A telephone service is alre
Otherwise he might be able to toss existence. You may dial ON
the whole thing off as a joke, a to offer or get a ride. Ho
case of off-beat negative humor. thetex ting service has som
As is, he sees in it not only the iations:
neurotic rantings of a moron, but It is not well publicized; It
the cumulative effect of genera- by volunteers and its con
tions of middle class know-nothing existence is not assured.
reaction in our country to a n y hours operated its ngpai
cause that raises the social organi o -sonly,anit capacityt
zation of humanity to a higher 1ev- dIe a heavy volume of c
el than that of a virtual chaos. limited.
A real improvement would
The middle class sentiment that the city would sponsor and
bases its morality on its pros- ize a telephone service that
perity is the same as that which erated 24 hours a day wi
has brought us Vietnam, the Bay many telephone lines as nee
of Pigs, Brazil, the Dominican Re- Still the main obstacle to
public, Bolivia, Uruguay, etc., and wide usage-of such a serv
now Chile. Is there no end to the psychological. Many peop
atrocities against mankind that reluctant to ride with strang
will be perpetrated. on the basis the fear of crime. This co
of desires of the "majority' of the surmounted in the following
people? ner. Let's assume you need
Any person who advocates a to Cleveland:
democratic system of government 1. You call the ride infor
must condemn in his very soul the, number and obtain names
total and savage destruction of this ,phone numbers of people g
system in our neighbor to the .that direction.
south. Anyone who aspires to eco- 2. You find someone to giv
nomic and social equality for all a ride. You obtain his or hi
ply by
e mes-
power-
ests to
!vice
gave
On the
e pos-
ty-wide
onnects
se who
bulletin
ice but
sarray
e must
it and
t some
ants. d
eady in
1E-1 11
wever,
ne lim-
is run
ntinued
corking
to han!
alts is
td be if
public-
tis op-
vith as
eded.
o the
vice is
de are
ers for
auld be
g man-
a ride
mation
a n d
oing in
ve you
her full
Daily Photo by DAVID MARGOLICK
Handicapped students make
progress acting on on behalf
By MARTIN STERN
AS HANDICAPPED persons
move towards the attainment of
equal rights in our society, o n e
point is clear. It is basically the
efforts of the handicipped persons
themselves which are helping to
overcome the b-arriers, both physi-
cal and mental, which have kept
them repressed for so long.
In recent years, organized groups
of handicapped persons have been
fighting their own battles. No long-
er content with accepting charity
and no longer content with the soc-
ietal notion that they are an in
ferior group, many disabled citi-
zens are now active in efforts to
improve the living conditions and
opportunities around them.
ITEM: In 1966, an architec-
tural barrier building law was
passed by the state legislature, re-
quiring all new facilities funded by
public funds to be easily accessible
to the physically handicapped
(through ramps, elevators, etc). A
companion bill passed in 1970 made
the same requirements of new pri-
vately funded buildings. B o t h
bills were sponsored by state Rep.
Robert Mahoney, a Detroit Demo-
crat who is legally blind.
It has been the policy in the past
to isolate the handicapped in in-
stitutions where they could easily
receive necessary aid. Unfortunate-
ly, such isolation often has only
served to further depress the mor-
ale of the handicipped, thus mak-
ing it more difficult for them to
cope effectively in society.
* ITEM: On February 16, hand-
icapped members of the state Re-
habilitation Association, along with
some members of the National As-
sociation of the Physical Handi-
capped, met with lawmakers in
Lansing to urge the passage of new
laws to end job discrimination and
to provide for slanted curb con-
struction. On April 12, Gov. Milli-
ken signed into law a bill requiring
tion of the Blind, established in
1940, strives through "means of
speeches, pamphlets, radio, and
TV appearances . . . to educate the
general public to the fact that the
blind are normal individuals who
can compete on terms of equality
with others." This organization is
run by persons who are themselv-
es blind.
S* *
Physical disabilities, of course,
go beyond mobility problems and
blindness caused by illness or birth
defects. Also included under t h e
broad term "handicapped" a r e
those with speech impairment,
hearing loss, epilepsy, and heart
disease. Each one of these disabil-
ities create its own problems.
In Ann Arbor, there are two
major organizations attempting to
alleviate the problems of the
handicapped, both on any off cam-
pus.
THE MAYOR'S Committee on
the Problems of the Handicapped
is an ad.visory committee which has
been active in proposing and ini-
tiating projects for handicapped
citizens. So far, there have been
ten pay phones installed at differ-
ent points throughout the c i t y
which can be easily used by per-
sons in wheelchairs.
Teltran is also due to modify five
of its buses to each allow for the
transport of four wheelchairs. Each
bus would operate in a different
city zone.
The city has likewise played a
major role in the renovation of
city sidewalks to provide sloped
curbs (and some ramps.)
The committee is also studying a
variety of other plans, such as eas-
ily-accessible public housing, re-
creational facilities, and so forth,
all of which would be aimed at al-
lowing handicapped persons to
function as normal a life as pos-
sile in Ann Arbor.
AT THE Universitv. the newly
abilities. The guiding principle
here was that the handicapped
were the best qualified to under-
stand their own needs.
It was thus in 1971 that several
handicapped students formed the
Committee to Aid Disabled Stu-'
dents as a Student Government
group. Among other things, they
met with the University Plant
Committee to plan new construc-
tion for curbs and entrances. The
committee also sponsored last
year's Sensitivity Day, wherein
University trustees, confined them-
selves to wheelchairs for a day on
campus in ,order to better under-
stand the problems of those per-
manently confined to a wheelchair.
THE FORMATION of the DSSP,
however, has been the major ach-
ievement of the committee. Award-
ed a $70,000 grant from the Dept. of
Health, Education, and Welfare, the
DSSP is currently in its organiza-
tional stage. A search for a direc-
tor is on; the applicant must be
'talented, sharp, and handicapped.
A large portion of the staff as well
as the Board of Advisors will also
be individuals with disabilities.
The DSSP has been founded on
the principle of recognizing the
abilities of the - handicipped and
the disabled. In providing service
for those in need, Jim Walker, a
member of the Board of Advisors,
who is legally blind, notes t h a t
DSSP "will not be patronizing, and
will not be oppressive."
The program will not be a re-
quired social service, but rather
will be available to those who wish,
on their own, to benefit from i t s
services, which will be supportive
in such a way as to allow handi-
capped students to have a campus
life comparable with that of the
non-handicapped. DSSP services
will deal with physical, academic
and personal areas of campus liv-
ing.
THE 1976 GOAL of The Presi-
dent's Committee on Employment
"Letters to The Daily should
be mailed to the Editorial Di-
rector or delivered to Mary
Rafferty in the Student Pub-
lications business office in the
Michigan Daily building. Letters
should be typed, double-spaced
and normally should not exceed
250 words. The Editorial Direc-
tors reserve the right to edit
Al letters submitted.
name, address and some forfm of
I.D. (driving license or student
I.D.). You then communicate this
information to a friend or relative.
You also give him or her similar
information to do the same.
You and your ride could t h e n
check identification again when
you .meet.
Hopefully this will stir up some
discussion that might lead to the
eventual establishment of such a
city-wide telephone service.
-Mohammed Saleh
Sept. 17
'' . ,
w
s
:NOW WMA"T f5 BEST FL kVE ovwm'.
Z HAVE MORE FACM~.
: WAT
i.,. "Ir
( 11 t
I