Thursday, September 4, 1975
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page tteven
Thursday, September 4, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Vage tAeven
Baiot
proposals
'mu
>oundly defeated
Door-to-door voter registration amendment fails
HRP's day care amendment crushed, 2-1
By DAVID WHITING
Being against day care is
something like being against
children. However, local voters
last April voted down a ballot
proposal giving child care cen-
ters city funds.
The Human Rights Party
(HRP) sponsored city charter
amendment, defeated by a two
to one nargin, would have pro-
vided 1.7 per cent of the total
city revenues for day care. Be-
cause of the wording, however,
that amount involved some
$565,000 - more than twice that
originally expected.
This issue of how much money
the proposal involved became
the subject of major controversy
during the final days preceding
the election and contributed
much to its defeat.
WHILE HRP claimed the mo-
tion, if passed, would require
only $314,000 of the municipal
income be devoted to child care,
both City Administrator Sylves-
ter Murray and former City At-
torney Edwin Pear contended
the issue included all city reve-
nue, rather than just the gen-
eral fund - resulting in the
$565,000 figure.
This confusion made many
candidates running for City
Council in the spring election
apprehensive about supporting
the amendment, although many
claimed that they favored some
y funding for day care er, armed with a more liberal By DAVID WHITING
majority on council since the Wide-based voter participe
oman Kathy Koza- elections, has attempted to re- is a fundamental aspect of
RP-Second Ward) and distribute a package federal democratic process and
P council hopefuls ar- grant, involving $2.5 of com- foundation of this country's
because their party munity Development Revenue society. But last spring
e proposal it should be Sharing funds (CDRS), toward voters nevertheless manage
which would have the human services, narrowly defeat a door-to-+
passed, to determine Proponents of day care em- voter registration proposal
nt of money given to phasized $123,750 was a meager The proposed city cha
drop for child care services and amendment would have,
pointed out that "even $300,000 passed, required the city c
JTHE fiscal year is not enough." to appoint up to two per cet
ity Council budgeted the voters in the last local i
,000 to day care, and THE PROPOSAL would have oral election - about 660 pe
ted $123,750 of federal funded only non-profit day care - as volunteer deputy r+
haring funds to child centers, many of which charge trars.
he next fiscal year. on a sliding scale according to The proposal, sponsored
, that figure may in family income. There are now the University Pilot Progi
ithin the next few about 15 such centers in the city called for empowering the
Mayor Albert Wheel- See VOTERS, Page 15 uty registrars to register v
door-to-door and create registra- which takes precedence over ( ertheless, Larry Maloney, N
who
tion sites anywhere within the
city.
Currently Ann Arbor has
about a dozen permanent voter
registration sites but only one
on-campus site - the Michigan
Union.
Although the voter registra-
tion issue was blasted as illegal
by the state attorney general,
local Democrats and Human
Rights Party (HRP) iembers
re-affirmed their support of the
spring ballot issue.
State Attorney General Frank
Kelley issued an opinion, three
weeks before the election, con-
tending the proposal was "con-
ducive of election fraud" and
illegal, a violation of state law
city law.
Governor William Milliken
then refused to endorse the bal-1
lot issue, a customary procedure
for ballot proposals which does
not necessarily mean that the
governor backs the concepts in-
volved.-
However, neither Kelley's
opinion nor Milliken's refusal to'
endoise the proposition had any
legal impact, since the amend-
ment was submitted through
citizen initiative, and therefore
does not require the governor's
signature.
The only way to invalidate a
proposed charter amendment
would be through court action
following voter ratification. Nev-
drafted the proposal, said he
feared the attorney general's
opinion would influence voters.
If Kelley did indeed influence
voters, he may have swung the
election since the proposal failed
by only 800 votes.
Proponents of door-to-door
registration contended that Re-
publicans had manipulated reg-
istration to exclude student
areas as much as possible. Ma-
loney pointed out, "Systems
similar to the voter registration
proposal have been used in
Oregon and Canada with no evi-
dence of a fraud problem.
Former Republican Mayor
J a m e s Stephenson claimed
See CITY, Page 15
University's registered
nurses continue contract
talks after unionization
By TRUDY GAYER and JO MARCOTTY
After a long, quiet battle against apathy, and a high turn-
over rate, registered nurses (RN) employed by the University
Medical center voted last February to create a union under the
Michigan Nurses Association (MNA).
At press time, RN's and the University were entering their
fifth week of negotiations. Although both sides agreed that talks
were "going well," neither would reveal the contract issues in
question.
"WE HAVE an agreement to remain in a news black-out until
both sides agree to go public," said Don Power, negotiator for
MNA.
William Neff, assistant director of personnel and head nego-
tiator for the University voiced the same opinion.
"I will not discuss the issues or the politics of the University
or the Union," he said. "But I will talk in general terms."
EIGHT MORE sessions still remain before the teams take
a three-week break, and then recoltinue negotiations in Septem-
ber.
"The union is still presenting its case proposals and we're
still listening and asking questions," explained Neff.
Power could not estimate how long negotiations would go on
but did say it would be a "decent time period" before both sides
came to an agreement.
"FIRST CONTRACTS take much longer than renewals," he
said. "We're starting from scratch, without a contract to modify.
New relationships and series of communications must be set up.
The MNA has to get their ball game together."
However, since the RNs have fought their year-long up-hill
battle successfully to this point, it'is more than likely that they
will get their ball game together.
The nurse's 3-1 unionization vote last winter marked the suc-
cessful finish of a drive that many did not expect to succeed. Or-
ganizers for the union had to deal with apathy on the part of
RNs and a high turnover rate.
CAROL REBBECK, a member of the organizing group report-'
ed the average length of employment as seven months.
Attendance for the organizational meetings last winter were
sparsely attended by potential union members. Rebbeck com-
mented at one point, that "nurses are apathetic."
But when the time came for RNs to cast their vote, a sur-
prising number came out of the woodwork. Out of 600 nurses,!
485 cast votes.
"THEY MADE UP their minds," said another member of
the organizing committee after the votes were counted. "They
made up their minds and nothing could change it."
Unlike other fledgling unions formed within the past year,
RNS stated last winter that their major demands do not concern
wage increases and benefits. They are more interested in policy
and staff changes, and obtaining more say in the decision-making
process.
"If nurses are going to have anything to do with the increased
government regulation in medicine, we've got to be organized.
I see no other way for any other group of women to have any
kind of clout," declared Joan Guy, an MNA staffer.
"WE WANT more say in staffing positions and the number
of nurses assigned to a unit," said Rebbeck.
Decision-making in an institution like the University Medical
Center is especially critical, Guy explained. Crucial decisions are
made far above the nurses' heads and "often through layers and
layers of administration - sometimes all the way to the Board
of Regents. At issue here is whether a group like ours has any
control in patient care. We have to have a legal mechanism to
fulfill legal and professional accountability."
Rebbeck maintained that nursing is becoming a more so-;
phisticated profession, and nurses are no longer merely doctor's
assistants.
"Now they can have more say in what they want as a pro-
fession," she said about the union. "They're demonstrating their
interest."
Police command group
may sue city as result
of contract rejection
By ANN MARIE LIPINSKI
Nearly three months ago,
City Council; in a controversial
move, rejected a teamster en-
gineered contract for the city's!
police command officers, and as
a result of that action, Ann
Arbor is facing unfair labor
practice charges as well as a
possible law suit.
Although at press time it is
unclear as to what ramifica-
tions the police union's legal
actions will spawn, city Admin-
istrator Sylvestor Murray has
made it clear that as soon as
the union files its charges, the
city will retaliate with com-
parabje charges.
THE TWO year contract pro-
posal rejected by council June
17, called for an 11 per cent
annual average wage hiketas
well as a written guarantee that
none of the 34 police sergeants
lieutenants or captains repre-
sented by the union would be
laid off.
These provisions, . along with
the contract's 50,000 dollar bud-
get over run provoked council
Democrats to kill the Republican
supported pact in a 5-5 vote.
The contract's no pink slip
provision triggered the most
vehement opposition from coun-
cilmembers who argued that the
police department was protect-
ing the top brass while forcing
many of the younger officers to
leave the city because of the
lack of opportunity for promo-
tion.
"WITHIN the last two years
we've had fourteen good officers
with BA's and MA's in law en-
forcement leave the force," said
J a mn i e Kenworthy (D-fourth
ward) before casting his vote
against the past.
"This contract will only con-
tinue that trend by freezing in
a top heavy department," he
added.
Although 'Murray had asked
city negotiators to hold all work-
er pay hikes to single digit per-
centages due to this fiscal year's
abbreviated budget, the nego-
tiated pact called for a 14.2 per
cent hike the first year of the
two year contract, and a 7.6
per cent increase the second for
an average 11 per cent boost.
WHILE blasting the contract
proposal for "violation of policy
guidelines," M u r r a y recom-
mended that council approve the
pact, "because it is the best
contract we can get volition-
ally."
H o w e v e r, council viloated
Murray's recommendation and
did not approve the proposal,
therefore sending contract talk
into binding arbitration.
Murray had clearly warned
council against throwing the,
issueinto arbitration because
of State Act 312-a state law
which gives police and fire
fighters binding arbitration and
which, Murray claimed, binds'
city to contracts which ultimate-
ly favor the union.
"ACT 312 means there was
not free collective bargaining
between the citys and the
unions," asserted Murray.
"The teamsters knew that his-
torically unions get a better
deal from 312 arbitration, and
citys loose more.
No sooner had the city and
the police entered their first
session with an arbitrator from
the Michigan Employment Re-
lations Commission (MERC) in
late June, when Joseph Valenti,
president of the =Teamsters Lo-
cal 214, the bargaining unit for
the police command officers,
announced the union s plans to
file unfair labor practices and
the possible law suit against
Ann Arbor.
VALENTI also went so far as
See CITY, Page 13
Daily Photo by STE
Sauerkraut
KAGAN
Daily Photo by STEVE KAGAN
Early last spring, the Native American Student Association erected this teepee on the front
lawn of University President Robben Fleming's lawn, protesting the University's failure to es-
tablish a caltural and resource center for them. The demonstration lasted 36 hours.
Native Am erican students
push for cultural center-
Last April 1, the Old German Restaurant was gutted by fire-
ending an era, of sorts, that the city landmark catered to
the Ann Arbor community. Presently, plans to rebuild it
are unclear.
Council Dems falto
By TIM SCHICK
Last spring on June 19, nearly 30 members of
the Native American Student Association
(NASA) and their families began a 36-hour vigil
on the lawn of University President Robben
Fleming's home, protesting the University's non-
compliance with their demands for a cultural
center.
The demonstrators and one of their teepees,
labeled "Native American Cultural Center"
drew surprised stares and smiles from Regents
and Administrators attending a formal dinner
inside the century-old mansion.
THE PROTESTORS had gathered in front of
the President's house following a Regent's meet-
ing held earlier in the day.
Walter Stevens, assistant director of safety
for the University told the group they could
remain in front of the South University resi-
dence "as long as no property damage occurs."
Barbra Smith, a NASA member, chided the
University for "playing games and laughing at
us" since February when the move to obtain
the cultural center was initiated.
PRESIDENT FLEMING scolded Smith for
what he called "inaccurate reports" on the in-
teraction between the University and NASA. He
claimed that permanent facilities for a cultural
center to be located in Oxford Housing would
nqt be available until next year and offered
them temporary use of a portion of Trotter
House, a black cultural center.
Smith said "Trotter House is too small for
the people there now - it is a move to divide
us and play one minority against another."
According to Smith a house on Wilmot St. of-
fered to NASA by the University in May was
See NATIVE, Page 15
introduce rent ordinance
By DAVID WHITING
Politicians have a reputation for renegging on their cam-
paign promises and recently elected City Council Democrats
have proven that Ann Arbor is no exception to the rule.
As late July ended, local Democrats failed to fulfill a major
campaign promise, made during April's elections, by not putting
a rent control ordinance on the record.
THE FIRST STEP towards enacting the ordinance, choosing
a citizens' committee to study the problem, had not even been
accomplished by the new Democratic Mayor, Albert Wheeler.
Councilwoman Kathy Kozachenko (HRP-Second Ward) spoke
to Wheeler's delay last July, "He just can't get anything to-
gether .. . he rambles around."
It is certain that Wheeler is not the hard-hitting mayor that
former GOP Mayor James Stephenson was, and Wheeler may be
having trouble handling a Council without a party majority.
See HRP, Page 13
AATA: Improving, expanding service
for mass transportation within the city
TAKING A long ride on a big1
bus is usually an invitation for
a sore you-know-what, but the
Ann Arbor Transportation Au-
thority (AATA) is taking steps
to improve and expand its serv-
ices.
Last June, AATA set into mo-!
tion plans to slash city taxi
fares and expand their Dial-A-
Ride System.
AATA APPROACHED Yellow
Cab and Veterans Cab Services
with the subsidy plan but, at
press time, the plans had not
been finalized.
The bus line estimates that
the average cab fare would be!
reduced to 85 cents under a 50
per cent subsidy, and contends
that a cut in fares should in-
crease the ride demand signifi-
meeting in June over possibly
depriving their own Transpor-
tation Employe Union drivers
of additional hours with the sub-
sidy, one official said.
However, realizing the sum-
mer months are reportedly
high-crime periods, especially
in the category of rape, the bus
line was interested primarily in
effectinga s vstem at the ear-
service would probably make
use of the. 25-cent Dial-a-Ride
system.
Dial-a-Ride, or TELTRAN, is
a network of small buses which
offer door-to-door s e r v i c e s
throughout much of the city and
provide transportation to the
regular AATA express lines.
Last June, AATA Chairman
William Drake predicted that
thr ,mmniatVla-nRide sm vem
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