Page 6-Thursday, July 19, 1979-The Michigan Daily
AP Photo
UNITED AUTO WORKERS (UAW) union supporters hand out leaflets yesterday at the General Motors Corp. assembly
plant in Oklahoma City. UAW backers and anti-union workers have been campaigning vigorously at the plant entrances.
The people handing out literature close to the building in the rear are anti-union workers. The UAW claims 65 per cent of
the plant's 2,300 workers probably will vote in favor of the union.
TRAFFIC SNARLED FOR HOURS:
GM workers
struggle to
join UAW
in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An inten-
se struggle for the allegiance of
General Motors' (GM) only non-union
assembly plant climaxes today as
workers decide whether they want to be
represented by the United Auto
Workers (UAW) union.
The fight, which the UAW initially
was confident of winning, but which an-
ti-union workers now say is close, has
already caused bitterness and delays in
the national auto negotiations going on
in Detroit.
UAW OFFICIALS consider the vote
by the 2,300 Oklahoma City workers
crucial. "I'm going to jump out of a
window someplace tonight or Friday if
we don't win," said UAW President
Douglas Fraser.
GM has opened a series of plants in
southern states in the 1970s, in what the
union charged was a "Southern
Strategy" designed to avoid unions.
Most have now been organized and GM
has promised to be neutral in union
elections.
But the Detroit negotiations got off to
a rocky start as Fraser charged, and
GM denied, that local managers here
violated the neutrality pledge and aided
"The Team," the anti-union
organization of workers.
A UAW DEFEAT would be expected
to increase the bitterness of the talks
and possibly make a strike more likely.
Although a few GM parts plants and
other facilities are not unionized,
Oklahoma City is the only such assem-
bly plant.
"Some people here didn't understand
the company doesn't provide the wages
and benefits out of the goodness of its
heart," says Carlton Homner, a UAW in-
ternational representative who was at
the gates of the plant to greet workers
when production of the new X-bodied
cars began several months ago.
The anti-union activists take their
name from GM's organization of 10- to
15-worker team unitswithin the plant.
The workers in the units meet to discuss
work assignments, overtime and other
issues. They report their consensus
opinions directly to supervisors.
'THEY HAVE the authority to
decide where to put their lunches and
how much toilet paper they get in one
pull, and that's all," Horner said.
Anti-union workers praise the team
concept asa significant departure from
practices at other auto plants. "We
believe in treating people as adults and
allowing them to have some input in
what happens to them," said Steve
Beam, 34, of Midwest City.
One anti-union leader, John
Knowlton, 46, of Oklahoma City, claims
maximum production schedules for the
first year were established by the
National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB). The NLRB denies that.
"WE'VE GOT ALL the benefits and
all of the pay and none of the hassle of a
union," said Max Burgess of Oklahoma
City.
Workers at the plant, like GM's more
than 455,000 other employees, average
a wage of about $9.05 an hour. Com-
parable manufacturing industries
locally pay an average of about $7.40 an
hour. Both are far above the average of
$2.11 paid all workers in the state who
are eligible for unemployment insuran-
ce.
NEW Y
irate taxi
traffic for
violence-m
50-cent fa
fuel costs.
The pr(
owner-ope
in a yell(
would-be
fighting fo
Confron
protesters
drove onto
ways lead
their cars
hours durit
POLICE
taxi driv
Authoritie
police off.
during a
Tunnel.
N.Y. taxi drivers protest fare hike
ORK (AP) - Thousands of One cabbie suffered an apparent thinks we should be gra
drivers virtually paralyzed heart attack on the 59th Street bridge
several hours yesterday in a and was taken to a hospital, demon-
narred demonstration for a strators said. THE TAXI drivers a
re increase to cover rising The demonstration left Kennedy and fare hike that would
LaGuardia airports with far fewer cabs drop on the meter
otest, mainly by taxicab than normal and clogged city access assessed before milea
rators, wrapped Manhattan routes until 9:30 a.m. Some downtown ded -from 75 cents to
ow blockade and stranded streets were snarled until after noon. City officials and les
riders on street corners SOME 3,000 drivers from 19 groupa Driver Union represe
idthe few cabs in service. claiming to represent 80 per cent ofthe fleet cabs denounced1
tations erupted between city's 12,000 medallion cabs converged tics.
and motorists as the cabbies on Battery Park on Manhattan's Mayor Edward Kc
bridges, tunnels, and road- southern tip for a 2%-hour morning drivers could face su.
ing into the city, got out of rally. are found to have inte
and refused to move for 22 The Associated Radio Meter Taxi traffic.
ng rush-hour traffic. Owners Council representing 2,500 cabs
and the Independent Taxi Owners JAY TUROFF, chair
Association with 3,000 cabs were the commission, met with
ARRESTED six protesting two largest groups participating. tatives after the pr
vers and one motorist. Stanley Bakalar, president of the requests would be cons:
s said two cabbies and a owners council, labeled the 15-cent fuel are formally present
icer were slightly injured surcharge approved last week and ef- mission.
scuffle outside the Lincoln fective yesterday "a breadcrumb that
the Taxi and Limousine Commission
teful for."
re pressing for a
raise the initial
- the charge
ge rates are ad-
$1.25.
ders of the Taxi
nting 2,500 city
the drivers' tac-
ch warned that
spension if they
ntionally slowed
rman of the taxi
h taxi represen-
otest and said
idered after they
ed to the com-
TheAnnArber Film Cepemtii'e Presents at Aud A
Thursday, July 19
LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR
(Richard Brookes, 1977) 7t& 9:15 AUD A
One of the most controversial films of the decade. GOODBAR stars DIANE
KEATON as a teacher of deaf children by day and a cruiser of the singles hors
by night. See it and judge for yourself whether she is a victim of an overly
permissive society or a modern independent woman. Also stars RICHARD
GERE, TUESDAY WELD, and TOM BERENGER.
Tomorrow: BLAZING SADDLES and THE PRODUCERS
WE SUPPQRT PROJECTIONISTS LOCAL 395
Throughout the morning, protesters
virtually ignored police, who issued
some 200 summonses to them for
blocking traffic and making un-
necessary noise.
Drivers of six cabs crawling down
Fifth Avenue attacked a bus when the
exasperated driver behind them
shouted, "Nobody's going to ever take
your cabs again," authorities said.
The drivers pounded on the nearly
full bus, broke the driver's window and
tore advertisements as passengers
looked onin horror, officials said.