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.