FHE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three [HE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Independen CHICAGO (Reuter) -- Joe Ber- radiators have been punctured tini puts ten packs of cigarettes and nails scattered across roads. on a handy ledge, pulls down his Few of the drivers expect to driving cabin windows and slow- end their driving days as rich ly works his way through the 13 men, but at the moment, they gears of his huge truck as he hits say, they are being forced out of the road. business. Bertini, a driver for 20 of his LAST MAY they were paying 42 years, leaves the truck park- 20 cents a gallon for diesel fuel. ing area as the first light creeps With their trucks consuming a across Illinois cornfields. It will gallon of diesel every four miles, be .long into the night before he that could still run up a bill. But parks his truck at another truck today, the drivers say, they are stop to grab a few more hours paying 50 cents a gallon. sleep in the back of his cabin. Prices have zoomed since the In the meantime, he will make fuel crisis began. Spokespersons as few stops as possible - to buy for independent truckers' coun- a soft drink from a roadside ma- cils, set up in parts of the coun- chine or to pick up a couple of try to air their members' griev- hamburgers. He will eat the ances, claim that many garages hamburgers as he drives, for are cashing in on the shortage of time means money to Bertini. fuel by gouging extra money out That is why he always drives of the independents. with his windows down, to try to The garages charge the big keep fresh. Sleep is the enemy he truck companies much less. for is continually fighting while he is fuel because they are frightened on the road. that when the crisis ends the Signs posted up on the sides of trucks, idle be- cause of the strike, read: "Shutdown as long as it takes." o v-.".......:::?':r?""}:":"::^::?EY l ":A ::::" s ":ti: isi v. ;.".5 t trucleers' strike persists.. wages by charging a mileage rate. To help overcome their trou- bles, the independents want the interstate commerce commis- sion, the government agency which regulates the haulage rates, to allow them to increase their freight charges. They have claimed in meet- ings with administration officials that their incomes are being drastically cut into while the oil companies continue to make big profits. PRESIDENT Nixon's labor troubleshooter, W. J. Usery, made three peace offers before the strike began last Thursday. Under his proposals, the inde- pendents would be reimbursed by their contractors for price in- creases in diesel fuel since last May and a new allocation pro- gram would assure them of enough fuel for their runs. He promised the number of tax inspectors on the highways would be increased from 300 to 1,000 to help protect theadrivers against over-charging at gar- ages. .I The drivers have taken no ac- tion on the offer, saying a show- down is the only way to guaran- tee their demands will be met. Signs posted up on the sides of trucks, idle because of the strike, read: "Shutdown as long as it takes." William Hill, national chair- man of the Fraternal Associa- tion of Steel Haulers and a mem- ber of the Truckers National Grievance Committee, said: "We need legislation, not just pro- mises." LONG-DISTANCE trucks cost 40,000 dollars each and nearly all the independents are paying back big mortgages taken out on their vehicles. They haul what the big com- panies turn down. They move steel girders on flatbed trucks, WHAT IS THE * GREATEST FORUM ON EART? * Well, the people in the History Department are concerned about questions of CURRICULUM and TEACHING, and we thought that if EVERYBODY could get together and talk about how departmental offerings might be improved, that would be a start. Some of the questions we will be discussing are: " What are people looking for in lower level history classes? upper level history classes? " What is the purpose of introductory courses? " In what ways should undergraduate and graduate education differ? '0 What should the role of teaching fellows and graders be? BRING questions and opinions-We supply coffee and donuts FRIDAY, February 10-182 PEA Building-4:00 p.m. HISTORY UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATION I PICKETING TRUCKERS, under the watchful eye of police near Norristown, Pa., flag down a truck BERTINI is one of the 100,000 independents, - drivers who own their own trucks --who make their living driving their 12- wheeled cabins and trailers across the United States. These are the drivers who have begun what is expected to be a long and possibly, at times, vio- lent strike. The drivers are bitter. They want the cost of their diesel fuel reduced, an end to the reduced speed limits on the highways and higher payment for their haulage runs. They have already shown their bitterness by violence. Drivers who have ignored strike calls have been beaten, concrete blocks have been dropped from bridges on trucks still running, companies - who employ 200,000 long-distance drivers - will take their block purchases elsewhere, the trucker council spokesper- sons maintain., The drivers say that, apart from the rising cost of fuel, they were also hurt when the speed limit on many of the state high- ways was reduced from 70 to 55 miles an hour to save fuel. THE COUNCILspokes- men maintain the trucks run more economically at 70 miles an hour than at 55 miles an hour, a claim refuted by some of the truck manufacturers. The new speed limit also means the driv- ers make less runs, the spokes- men point out. This also affects company driv- ers who obtain the bulk of their they carry pigs and they haul fresh foods, such as meat and poultry - items which bring a low haulage price. The independents compete among themselves, with brokers seeking the lowest rates to ob- tain business and with compa- nies shipping the goods seeking the lowest haulage price. The drivers say that in a good year, they can earn 25,000 dollars a year - well-above the nation- al average and far-above what so-called blue-collar workers re- ceive - after they have paid their fuel, insurance, license fees, new tires and other expect- ed costs. But a big repair bill. can dig into their earnings. DRIVERS WORKING for com- panies often earn more, but the independents say they like their freedom, they prefer working for themselves. The drivers pride? themselves on their roots. They call their trucks "rigs"-the name given by their grandfathers to the horse and buggy. They also have a sense of the dramatic. Many drivers, but not Bertini, help pass the time while driving by calling each other up on so-called citizen band radios. They use nicknames while on the air-"Red Fox, Red Fox, this is Black Devil. I'm running into rain." Many of the drivers would be regarded by their fellow country- men working in offices as "red- necks"-a term used to describe someone who has had little edu- cation, is a super-patriot, a right - winger and a m a n u a l worker. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the main drivers' union, has refused to support the independents-few of whom be- long to the union-in their de- mands, and this has caused bit- terness between the independents and Teamsters. A Teamsters spokesperson said the proposals made by Usery had been sought by the union and showed the drivers demands could be met legitimately with- out strike action. The Teamsters have generally supported the Nixon administration. President Nixon paroled former, union president James Hoffa in A spokesman for the strikers, William S c h e f i e r, said: "We couldn't care less about (Frank) Fitsimmons (w h o succeeded Hoffa as union president). The union has done nothing for in- dependents trying to make a living." THE MICHIGAN PAILY Volume LXXXIV, Number 107 Thursday, February 7, 1974 is edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan. News ph'one 764-0562. Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106. Published daily Tuesday through Sunday morning during the University year at 420 May- nard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. Subscription rates: $10 by carrier (cam- pus area); $11 local mail (Michigan and Ohio); $12 non-local mall (other states! and foreign). Summer session published Tuesday through Saturday morning. Subscrip- tion rates: $5.50 by carrier (campus area) $6.50 local mail (Michtgan and! Ohio)*. $7.00 non-io';rl mail;:other; states and foreign). Ladies' and Children's Hairstyling a Specialty... Appointments Available Dascola Barber Shops Arborlnd-971-9975 Maple Village-761-2733 E. Liberty-668-9329 E. University-662-0354 I LL TONIGHT and every THURSDAY on WCBN-FM, 89.5 7-8 p.m.: LATIR AMERICA: News, music and features concerning Latin America OVA 8-8:30 p.m.: THE MAGAZINE SHOW Local and worldly featurettes produced by a brilliant staff TEE & ONE PICKETING TRUCKER in Norristown, Pa., shouts (left) while police search another (right) after a passing trucker report- edly identified him as having thrown rocks through a cab window. Subscribe to The Daily R. C. PLAYERS Present AP Photo JAZZ! Thursday * Friday * Saturday Feb. 7, 8, 9 The 11th House featuring Larry Coryell Also on the some show OREGON (Former members of the Paul Winter Consort ) AMPLE FREE PARKING 2333 East Stadium Blvd. (near Washtenaw) Below Trickey Dick's Restaurant For info call 663-1212 Teaching Fellow MASS MEETING TONIGHT! Feb. 7 8:00 p.m. UNION BALLROOM ALL T.F.s PLEASE ATTEND (Res. Assts. and Staff Assts. also welcome) STOP BY OUR OFFICE Rm. 9-Michigan League Open Everyday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. SKIS K2-5 ... HEAD HRP ... HEAD GK03 .. . HEAD STANDARD FIBERGLASS .. . REMI METAL .. . REG. $200 155 120 135 75 SALE $164.95 119.95 79.95 99.95 37.50 BOOTS Raichie Poly-Jet Comp. Koflach Aero Koflach Super- comp Foam or Flo Koflach Goldstar Foam Koflach Racer Head Comp. Air Head Master Air 120 85 55 165 155 SKI { i 1 1 i J I REG. $194 170 * PLUS MANY OTHER SKI REDUCTIONS * I 1 * PLUS MANY OTHER BOOT REDUCTIO CLEARANCE $1 1 ALSO HUGE SAVINGS ON CLOTHING! SALE 49 27.50 89 59.95 39.95 19.95 14.95 )NS* THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS by G. B. Shaw THE SANDBOX by Edward Albee I STORE HOURS: M W TH F: 10-8:30 TU SAT: 10-5:30 2455 S. STATE (1 mile s. of campus) 662-730 ri I February 7, 8, 9 East Quad Auditorium 8 p.m. Admission $1 ' I I Expressthose Pent-up sentiments Announce that 4 n Stifl\d S o\ \t \ 10 0, WOMEN IN THE REEL WORLD Free Filnm Festheual OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Wed., Feb. 6-Sun., Feb. 10 Physics & Astronomy Building WED. FROM 3 P.M. THURS. FROM 1 P.M. FRI.-SUN. FROM 12 NOON Featuring In Person: MARJORIE ROSEN author of POPCORN VENUS: Women, Movies, and the American Dream, Sheila Paige, filmmaker, of N.Y.'s WOMEN MAKE MOVIES, and representatives of many midwestern film groups. FILMS BY WOMEN DIRECTORS 1922-1974 FRIDAY, FEB. 8 12:00 3:00 FILMS and WORKSHOPS to be announced THE COOL WORLD-Shirley Clarke, USA 0 I I I Ili