Opening negotiations
HE GRADUATE Employees Organiza- The demand for closed meetings is coup-
tion (GEO), which represents 2,200 led with the University's refusal of
graduate research, staff and teaching as- SACUA's request for an official, neutral
sistants wants the collective bargain- faculty observer, thus precluding dis-
ing sessions with the University open to semination of objective information.
public observation unless both sdes
agree to negotiate specific topics in ULTIMATELY, GEO views the Univer-
private. sity position as cynical because it as-
GEO strives to work as openly and sumed that the University community is
democratically as possible. Open nego- incapable of. understanding what is oc-
tiations which may be attended by GEO curring in bargaining and is gullible
members and others are an integral part enough to be satisfied with the con-
of this. Further, GEt) recognizes tat its trolled release of selected information.
responsibilities go beyond its own mem- A precedent for open sessions .was
hers. As professional colleagues a n d set in bargaining beween the Univer-
teachers, we are responsible to the Uni- sity of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin
versity faculty while we bargain the Teaching Assistants Association. There,
first faculty contract. As students, our the University agreed to never holding.
contract will affect other students and closed sessions. In practice approximate-
student employes. Because we are public ly 10 persons generally attended, in-
employes, all taxpayers will be interest- chiding reporters. The GEO proposal
ed in the negotiations. All those affected does not reach as far: closed meetings
should have the opportunity of visiting would be allowed if both parties agreed
the sessions, and obtaining complete coy- and only members of either bargaining
erage through formal media channels. team would be allowed to speak.
-- -
t: smissi Ft:: Jiti I -::: ~
-Fir , M - - a I . el
'Look on the bright side, Fred. We may be the only two
humans in the country not recorded in a data bank.
or on a mailing list!'
UNIVERSITY officials argued that ne-
gotiations are always closed, open meet-
ings lead to bargaining through the press,
and spectators attending negotiations
only sporadically will be misled.
GEO argues that leaks from closed
meetings result in misinformation in the
press. Those concerned with the nego-
tiations are far more likely to be mis-
led if bargaining is done in secret. If
the University wins its point it will
mean that the faculty, the group with
the greatest access to negotiations at
present, will gala information only from
those faculty members who accepted in-
vitations to be on the University side.
RECENT EVENTS have again made
it clear that secrecy implies "something
to hide." GEO has nothing to hide and
does not wish to foster an atmosphere
of secrecy The issue will be discussed
at the next bargaining session on ground
rules, July 23rd GEO hopes that a 11
concerned will consider it carefully, and
urge the University to agree to open
meetings.
This statement, conpiled by GEO, is
endorsed bay the Rackhaae Stsdent Gov-
erssseut; Carl Sandburg, SGC President;
and Calvin Luker, SGC Student Organ-
izations Board.
THE
Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
Friday, July 19, 1974
News Phone: 764-0552
U.N. stal no spurprise
YESTERDAY THE U.N. decided to "wait and see" what
, will happen in the current crisis in Cyprus before tak-
ing any action. The question is: wait and see what? The
situation is getting worse by the hour, and the major
powers are beginning to take sides. While the U.N. is
waiting and seeing, the situation is growing into an-
other international crisis.
This should not surprise anyone however. We all
remember the great job that the U. N. did in resolving
the Mid-East crisis of last year. But yesterday the U. N.
merely stated officially what they have been doing for
years; waiting.
While Frartee and India set off nuclear devices'the
U. N. sits passivty by and waits. There is a drought in
Africa that is killing thousands daily, and the U. N.
waits.
We pay the delegates to sit and chat about the
world, while all around us there is war, famine, pesti-
lence and death.
What are we paying for? We don't seem to be get-
ting anvthiney for our money, except for the official an-
nouncements that tell us what we already know, that the
U.N. is a powerless orvanization that gives the people of
the world a false sense of security, while the govern-
ments rob, steal and kill.
--DAVID WARREN
Sotsmer Staff
JUDY RUSKIN
Editor
MARNIE HEYN
Editorial Director
KEN FINK
Arts Editor
OOR OON O(* AT .C.FS.ON . . .. r. . ... .... ...... ..... Night Editor
CHERTL PILATE. . . .. .... Night Editor
JEFF SORENSEN . . ..... - . .. ...:. . Night Editor
BARBARA CORNELL . Ass't. Night Editor
DELLA D tPIETRO .'..... . : .0............. . Asst. Night Editor
BIL. HEENAN . .. . .. . . .... .....,.. AsS't Night Editor
ANDREA LILLY .. . . . ......Ass't. Night Editor.
STEPHEN iESH... , . Ass't. iTight Editor
DAVID WHIT Tio . . . Asst. Night Editor
KEN FINK . . . Photographer -
STEVE KAGAN ... .. ......... Photographer
MARC PFLDMAN:
Sports Editor
CLARKE COGSDiLL.... .. Contributing Sports Editor"
GIORE H SINGS ... .. Executive Sports Editor
JOHN KAHLER.... ... Associate Sports Editor
ROGER ROSSITER.... . . Managing Sports Editor
MARK SANCRAINTE
Business Manaager
JOAN ADES........:...... . CircutionManager
KAREN COFLAADNispla:....a... Di..... Manager
Letters to the Daily
Warren
To The Daily:
I HAVE READ several arti-
cles this week recounting the
career of Earl Warren. Most of
them did not surprise me, as
obituaries tend to be eulogies
rather than journalism. I was,
however, unhappy to see the
same garbage in the Daily.
Earl Warren was not "the
bedrock of the Constitution."
Perhaps Hugo Black and Wil-
liam O. Douglas have a claim
to the title. Among other things,
Warren was among those who
attempted to read extra words
into the First Amundment in
order to legitimize censorship.
As California's wartime A t-
torney General Warren parfci-
oated fully in the removal of
innocent Japanese-Americars to
concentration camps, a removal
that financially 'Se lated bis
political allies. Meaawh;'e, he
defended the patriotism of Ger-
man-Americans, some ,f whom
were active in the pro-Nazi
American Bund.
Warren's record as an Es'ab-
lishment liberal mast;s it easy
to understand why we didn't
get too excited about John Mit-
'hell's attempts 'o improperly
influence Supreme Court dens-
ions.
Lastly, I have see: no mer-
tion this week :n any article
the role of Warren in the big-
.est coverup previoas to Water-
sate: the Kennedy assassma-
tion probe. Evidence uncovered
since 1964 wholly disc-edits the
Warren Commission conc.us-
ions. As early as 1967, publica-
tions like Life Magazine were
zalling for a re-openilg of te
invPstination. Thanks t War-
rn's Establishment liberal al-
lies, however, this, never han-
ened. Nosy perhts, there will
be a better opportunity.
THE RVIDENCE in the as-
s9ssination coverup contncs to
acetmulate but a vital hairy of
evidence remains unavailable to
researchers,. thanks to Earl
Warren. This evidence, onoco of
which the Commission never
examined (taking, the word of
the FBI"and CIA that At was not
important), .has been sealgd at
the National Archives for 759
years!
I have always had a fonadness
for the Michigan Daily, and so
I hope this journalistic near-
sightedness is only a temporary
lapse.
-MartinS
Saginaw
July 13
Schackelford
open it up
To The Daily:
THE GRADUATE Employees
Organization is proposing t h a t
their negotiating sessions be
open to the public except when
both bargaining teams agree to
close them.
This proposal has various ad-
vantages:
As the Graduate Employees
Organization states, it is more
democratic than closed sessions
All members of the University
community would be better in-
formed on the state of negotia-
tions
All these persons are affected
in some way by the contract ne-
gotiated and should be kept in-
formed.
The faculty, in particular, are
not well informed on the topic
and need such a live source of
information. The openness could
also in effect, provide a forum
through which faculty reactions
to proposals can be made
known.
It has been reported to be
workable in similar negotiations
at the University of Wisconsin.
Skillful choice of open or clos-
ed sessions can improve the
bargaining process.
ON THE other hand, the pro-
posal is open to some criticism:
Closed sessions give more lee-
way to the bargaining teams;
they can be less concerned about
loss of face in advancing speci-
fic positions for bargaining.
Information could be ex-
changed more freely, e.g., if
necessary, information relating
to specific persons.
The openness is deceptive.
For some tough issues secret
closed sessions may occur in
any case.
It would put pressure on open-
ing stategy .sessions, which is
unrealistic.
Effective bargaining depends
on an element of secrecy.
AFTER WETGHING t h ese
' pros and cons, the Executive
Committee of the University of
Michigan Chanter of the Ameri-
can Association of University
Professors endorses the pronos-
al as one worth trying. After
some experience with open ses-
sions, all concerned can re-eval-
uate it and determine its wis-
dom for future bargaining.
-American Association of
University Professors
University of Michigan
Chapter
July 17
-esat es / 's -.' . m. - ,,
Contact your reps-
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), Rm 253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
lill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), Rm 353, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Rep. Marvin Esch (Rep), Rm. 412, Cannon Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Gilbert Bursley (Rep), Senate, State Capitol Bldg.,
Lansing, Mi. 48933.
Rep. Perry Bullard (Dem), House of Representatives State
Capitol Bldg., Lansing, Mi. 48933.
f_: + 'y'" .' "' i C'^. M } :"S7^6 , :4. W i :+''. .+. e