The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
Tuesday, May 20, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
Stoc weli under the gun
THE FLAP OVER possible misuse of dorm funds and
negligent administration on the part of Stockwell
Building Director, Mildred Morris is currently being
sorted out by a Housing Office investigation panel
headed up Hill Area Housing Director Gerald Burkhouse.
The controversy surfaced one month ago when a
petition claiming Morris had not met "the necessary
qualificationsa building director should have" - it cited
a lack of positive rapport with residents and weekly of-
fice hours among other deficiencies - attracted over
245 signatures of Stockwell residents.
The length of the petition, which had not evencir-
culated among all of 420 Stockwell residents, moved area
housing director Burkhouse to initiate a probe of the mat-
ter with the promise to search out the "facts, all kinds,
any kind."
The Stockwell situation, a case of deep-seated and
near-unanimous dissatisfaction with dorm housing sit-
uation, provides the Housing Office with an excellent
forum for reversing its long-standing record of being ob-
livious to the needs and rights of dorm dwellers.
NO FINDINGS HAVE been released yet by the Burk-
house committee, and it is too early to say whether
Morris is in fact guilty of the charges aimed at her.
Whatever the final determination, however, those inves-
tigating the matter should look into the matter with
the intensity and clarity of purpose that 245-signature
mandate surely deserves.
Hopefully, BuildingDirector Morris and her coun-
terparts in the other dorms won't wait to be officially
reprimanded before taking steps to provide residents
with the services they're paying exorbitant rates to re-
ceive.
Cesar Chavez: Show of strength
By JAMES WECHSLER
E'ESAR CHAVEZ has beea the
subject of numer->us obituary
notices in recent months. Most
of those essays mingled pious
expressions of respect for his
past leadership with 'realistic"
portrayals of the powerful,
strong-muscled Teamsters U-
ion as the wave of th, future
in the fields..
Suddenly, however, suchi me-
lancholy assessments of Cha-
Ivez capacity for survialbase
been challenged again.
There could be no higher tri-
bute to hid durability than the
cries of rage emergng from
leaders of the Teamsters yes-
terday over prospective enact-
ment of a California sta+nte giv-
ins agricultural workars -he
right to secret bolt t in det er-
mining their union representa-
tion.
The Teamster officials did not
sound like supermen as they an-
grily vowed to resist this exer-
cise in democracy. A few dlays
earlier Chavez had agreed to the
legislation, drafted under the
direction of Gov. Edmund
Brown, Jr. Now the Teamsters
have threatened strikes in four
states if it becomes law.
THEIR TRUCULENT response
had an unmistakable tone of
panic. If offered dramatic evi-
dence supporting Chavez's claim
that his movement still com-
mands the fidelity of the bulk
of farm laborers. It was solid
vindication for AFL-CIO psesi-
dent George Meany, who has re-
neatedly decried the Team-ters'
invasion through "sweatback
agreements" of the domain in
which Chavez was a lonely
pioneer for so long.
From the time of the adoption
of the National Labor Relations
Act, farm workers have been
denied the protection o. the law,
including its guarantees of free
secret elections. Fv the time
Chavez began his drive, t h e
statute had been amended to
outlaw secondary boycotts spon-
sored by unions covered by the
NLRA.
But Chavez saw such boyciats
as an indispensable weapon for
farm workers because of their
geographical dispersal and be-
cause of the seasonal nature of
their employment. Thsus he re-
fused to endorse moves to bring
them under the umbre la of he
law.
THE BOYCOTT tactic. was un-
questionably vital to h-svioI
notable successes in inaolly
achieving contracts with t h e
grape growers and others.
In 1970 about 95 per cent of
the grape interests capitulated
and signed up with the UF'W,
and the union appeared on she
verge of new, major bretak-
throughs.
Lettuce growers w'sosc work-
ers the UFW had been patiently
organizing abruptly detided they
would prefer to do business with
the Teamsters. And in 19"3;
leading grape-growers hereto-
fore under contract with the
UFW also signed up with the
Teamsters, insisting that the
shift reflected the true prefer-
ence of their employes. But no
secret ballot told - them that.
A less-dedicated man t h a n
Chavez might have been over-
whelmed by the c mbiration,
especially as various commen-
tators began predicting his
doom.
But Meany's best impulses
were stirred by what he saw as
a ruthless jurisdictional war un-
leashed by the Teamsters
against Chavez' embattled leg-
ions. The Independent U n i t e d
Auto Workers rallied to t h e
UFW's side.
ALTHOUGH CHAVEZ had
clearly suffered serious set-
backs, he was not prepared to
surrender. He had survived too
many other ordeals.
Now he has made a fateful de-
cision. In return for the secret-
ballot provision contained in the
proposed California bill, he has
agreed to accept a clause re-
stricting the use of the second-
ary boycott to agricultural en-
terprises in whichthe union has
swon an election but is unable In
obtain a contract.
When he ratified that trade-
off, he was obviously voicing
confidence in the UFW's ability
to defeat the Teamsters in
democratic combat. He was en
domsing Brown's effort to shift
the battlefield to the ballot-box.
The shrill protests emaanaing
from the Teamster operatives
suggest that Chavez has once
again captured the initiative,
and confounded those Ao little
faith.
THROUGHOUT the recent
years of battle, the underlying
question has been whether a un-
ion so rooted in idealism and
incorruptibility as the UFW
could survive the assault of the
affluent, high-powered Teamster
machine, and its agribusiness
allies. The lines could not be
more clearly drawn than they
are now by the free-election pro-
posal.
James Wechler is a syn-
dicated New York Post col-
umnist.
LET' u5
fit
THE
4i
tribute
the las
of Sou
tator P
no sur
ers of
"V
capt
tium
regir
Gulf,
gle fo
Korea,
est in t
oil refi
investn
the lar
first m
ment h
multim
Gulf
its orig
i
Gulf fueling Park regime
3y RICK JURGENS in the refinery for a mere $5 of foreign banks and industrial
REVELATION that Gulf million, and realized more than corporations, the hard-pressed
i Corporation had con- $10 million in profits in the four Park regime would face an in-
d more than $4 million to years between 1965 and 1969. soluble economic crisis.
t two political campaigns In addition, Gulf has profited
th Korean military dic- as the sole supplier of crude WHILE GULF'S "illicit" cam-
?ark Chung Hee came as oil to the giant refinery and paign contributions captured
prise to veteran observ- pocketed the interest on a gong- headlines, a recent move by a
that Asian country. term loan made to its Korean consortium of American banks
to shore up the Park regime
............................................<.-- - passed relatively 'unnoticed. A
Vhile Gulf's illicit campaign contributions syndicate to lend South Korea
$200 million necessary to stir-
ured headlines, a recent move by a consor- vive a grave balance of gey-
of American banks to shore up the Park ments crisis was formed ni
the aggressive support of some
ne passed relatively unnoticed." of America's largest banks, in-
cluding Chase Manhattan, Icrst
-t National City Bank, utc
which is the largest sin- partner. American and Crocker Citize-is
reign investor in South Gulf Oil president B R. Dor- Bank.
owns a 50 per cent inter- sey, who revealed the political
the 215,00 barrel per day contributions in testimony be- Rick Jurgens, former co-
nery at Ulsan. Gulf's 1963 fore a Senate subcommittee, is . of the Pacific Bas
nent in the refinery - also president of the U.S. Korea
gest in Korea - was the Economic Council. That council Reports, regularly monitors
ajor direct foreign invest- - made up of more than 100 the activities of multina-
n South Korea by a large U.S. corporations - was form- tionals for Pacific Newt
ational firm. ed to stimulate more U.S. trade
was allowed to purchase and investment in South Korea. Service. Copyright, 1975.
ginal 25 per cent interest Without the continued stipport Pacific News Service.
Letters
Cobb controversy inspires flashback
To The Daily: One memorable night a resi- or less successfully, with a It is small comfort to know As we observe the United
THE CONTROVERSY over dent of the dorm returned from number of incidents of biased that one .of the young women tions' International Woii
the new dean of LSA as report- a meeting of Senior Society and behavior on the part of the es- prevented from contaminating Year and make grandoise r
ed in this morning's Washing- delivered the astonishing in- tablishment and student body League facilities in the 30's lat- to celebrate the biczJieseni
ton Post distresses but does not, formation that -the club's ad- against members of other out- er became a judge of the ju- a nation conceived in lit
unfortunately, surprise me. It visor, who was also manager of groups, that bit of istelligence venile court in Washingtotn. and dedicated to the-propos
is, I fear, the 1ogical outcome the Women's League, had pro- shocked me. I still remember As a native of President that all humans are crc
of the U of M campus mores as posed that the group's prim-sry in considerable' detail the cir- Ford's home town awl as a equal it is appropriate ghat
I knew them in the 1930's. goal for the year should be to cumstances of that evening. f long-time resident of toe Jistrict academic community of the
c Na-
en's
plans
:l i1
berty
itiza
cated
t the
Uri-
As President of Newberry
dorm in 1937 I was made only
too aware of both the overt and
the covert forms of discrimina-
tion practiced by the University
community.
devise "polite" techniques f o r
discouraging thee presence of
black women students in t:h e
League building.
While I had, in my august role
of dorm president, dealt, mere
HAD I . remained to acquire
an MA an investigation of this
and other incidents woalld have
been a fruitful but probably un-
acceptable thesis.
of Columbia, the impact of the
past, present, and futu°n pol:-
cies and practices of the Uni-
versity of-Michigan an the .cad-.
-ership of our country and t b e
world concerns me very deeply.
versity of Michigan assess its
ability to provide entigtrtwed
leadership.
This is the year to stoe psin
intellectual energies to contv
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