Saturday. June 21, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY.
UNION HOPES FOR SETTLEMENT
Railway strike delayed
Pae Thrde
W A S H I N G TO N (l) -
Responding to a plea from fed-
eral mediators, the railway
clerks union' agreed yesterday
to postpone for 30 days its
threatened national rail strike
in hopes of reaching a settle-
ment.
But the union's president, C.L.
Dennis, warned that unless
management indicates a will-
ingness to compromise "it is
difficult to see how strikes may
be avoided next month."
POST PONEMENT
of the strike deadline to July
21 was requested by chief fed-
eral mediator W. J. Usery Jr.
following an all-night bargain-
ing session with union leaders
and representatives of the ma-
jor railroads.
The Brotherhood of Railway
and Airline Clerks had planned
to strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday
when all legal delays under the
Federal Railway Labor Act
were to expire.
During the night, Dennis said
the union made "a serious ef-
fort" to scale down its contract
demands only to be "complete-
ly and contemptuously reject-
ed" by management.
W I L L I A M DEMPSEY,
the industry's chief negotiator
and spokesman, called the un-
ion's revised demands "unrea-
sonable and inflationary." Un -
ion negotiators, he added, con-
tinued to resist the recommen-
dations of a presidential emer-
gency board which urged the
clerks to accept basically the
same pattern agreement app-
roved earlier by seven other
rail unions. The pact provided
for a 41 per cent boost in
wages and benefits over three
years.
The clerks union ountended
the pattern agreement failed to
U malpractice insurance
will skyrocket next year
fly JEFF RISTINE
Medical malpractice insurance premiums paid by the Uni-
versity will skyrocket next year, the Board of Regents was told
yesterday.
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Wilbur Pierpont
said the University will need $2.5 million during 1975-76 to cover
malpractice rates for the 'U' Hospital and other units covered by
an overall insurance program. The cost in 1971-72, he said, was
only $237,000.
PIERPONT ADDED that although the University's situation
reflects a nationwide trend, a survey of Big Ten Schools shows
"our costs are very favorable compared to other Universities with
large hospitals."
The $2.5 million figure represents about four per cent of the
University's medical budget, according-to Pierpont, and includes a
$1 million deductible clause.
The Regents also voted to defer until July action on a dispute
with the City Council over payments for city services, appoint-
ment of student members to the Board in Control of Intercol-
legiate Athletics and University, family housing rents.
IN OTHER action, the Regents:
-approved emergency actions for expenditures until the 1975-
76 budget is finalized. Pierpont said the actions were necessary
because state appropriations for the new fiscal year beginning
July 1 have not yet been determined.
-approved designs of new individual flags for the School of
Art, the College of Architecture and Urban Planning and the
School of Library Science. The lighthearted presentation of the
three stylized, colorful flags was highlighted by -Regent Paul
See 'U', Page 10
address itself to the special
needs of its 117,000 members
employed as office and ticket
agents. Railway clerks cur-
rently average $5,66 an hour.
With labor and management
apparently still far apart. Us-
ery said he and Chairman
George Ives of the National
Mediation Board would remain
in touch with both sides and call
for a resumption of negotiations
"as soon as we feel further pro-
gress can be made." Usery said
he was hopeful the 30-day de-
la would permit bargaining to
continue 'in a non-crisis atmos-
phere."
SOURCES CLOSE to the talks
said the union agreed to the
postponement after Usery ap-
pealed for more time to nego-
tiate a settlement and stressed
that a crippling nationwide
strike next week could prompt
Congress to pass emergency
legislation to end the walkout.
The sources said it was Usery's
view that Congress would have
been reluctant to leave town for
its July 4 recess without taking
some action.
In a statement explaining his
decision, Dennis expressed con-
cern about 'the difficult eco-
nomic burdens," a strike would
place on the economy and the
possibility of jeopardizing legis-
lation pending before Congress
that would improve unemploy-
nsent compensation for railroad
workers.
The labor chief also said the
postponement will provide the
union with the legal option call-
ing selective strikes against in-
dividual railroads next month
instead of a national work stop-
page. In all likelihood, such a
tactic would reduce pressure
for strike - breaking legislation.
M E A N W H I L E, the
Penn Central, the nation's larg-
est railroad, commemorates the
fifth anniversary of its bank-
ruptcy today. Penn Central's
collapse, on June 21, 1970, was
the largest corporate failure in
U. S. history.
The railroad now is headed
toward incorporation into the
proposed semipublic freight
carrier, Conrail, which is simi-
lar to Amtrak and aims to
abandon the little-used, second-
ary spurs of seven bankrupt
Northeast railroads
Tennis snooze
Seven-year-old Tommy Horkay of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is
caught catching a few z's while waiting for business to pick up
at his make-shift shoe shine stand. Like other youngsters,
Timmy is enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer, and decided
to make this afternoon a profitable one.
Orieo'ntation: It's that
time o--f Year ... agavin
By CATHERINE REUTTER
Once you've spotted those
bubbly mobs of people, with a
seemingly bottomless resevoir
of energy and that star-spangled
look in their eyes, you can be
sure of one thing. The summer
orientation program has begun.
The new . freshpeople, who
started flowing in last Sunday
for their three-day stay at
Markley, are now experiencing
the same get-acquainted ses-
sions, campus tours, tests and
registration headaches that most
University students have bitter-
sweet memories of.
AND THEN there's the fun.
"You could find a wild party
around here every other night,"
said orientation leader Denise
Morgan. "They have to have a
break sometime."
The traditional tour of the
campus is always one of the
highlights of the hectic three
day session. Spicing the walk
with fabricated tales, the orien-
tation leaders never fail to draw
combinations of total naivete
and unbelieving laughter when
they recount the legend of the
George P. Wheeler Menorial
Bridge or the myth behind the
Natural History Museum lions.
which allegedly roar when a
virgin walks by. .
During one of his tours, orien-
tation leader Mike Alpern told
his group of 35 wide-eyed rook-
ies, "Some of my friends were
walking back after sampling
some of the local brew and they
swore that the lions were talk-
ing to them," Alpern told the
students.
THERE IS a less pleasant
side to orientation, however-
the testing, According to Mor-
gan, that stinging process be-
gins the iorning after the fresh-
people arrive, at the god-awful
hour of 8 a.m.
While Morgan claims she
hasn't had any trouble waking
people up by 7 a.m., she was
quick to add that the new LSA
testing requirements have been
a big problem. Because of the
"tip in the air" nature of the
graduation requirement changes
passed by the Regents, said
Morgan, registration has been
one huge hassle.
Commenting on the over all
nature of the class of '79, Al-
pern said, "They're typical
freshmen."
"All these kids come in with
very high energy levels, and
an openness to many things,"
said Morgan. "You get some
that aren't that enthused, but a
lot of energetic people."
Wonder how long that wilt
last?
rHE MICHIGAN DAILV
Volumei XXXV, No. i'-S
I'riday, June 20, 11U
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,hG.. r r rr. .
Prne Gadi defends policies -
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addresses a mass rally in New Delhi yesterday defending her
criticized policies. An Indian Supreme Coutt Justice agreed yesterday to hold an urgent hearing
Monday on whether Gandhi can remain in office until the court decides her appeal of a convic-
tion for corrupt campaign practices.