Friday, lune 4, 1976 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three Economy big issue in Senate race By PILLIP BOKOVOY The big campaign issue of 1976 has been the state of the economy, and it will also be a major issue in the race for Philip Hart's U.S. Senate seat. The four Democrats seeking the par- tys nomination for the seat, Secretary of State Richard Austin, Bloomfield Hills attorney James Elsman, Congress- man James O'Hara (Utica), and Con- gressman Donald Riegle (Flint) are fo- casing their campaigns on the condi- tion of the economy. STATE EMPLOYMENT is still much higher than the national rate and de- spite all the glowing promises and pre- dictions from the White House, Michi- gan voters still concern themselves with economic issues. A poll taken by the Detroit Free press on the day of the presidential primary election showed the condition of the economy to be the voters' great- est concern. The week after, Riegle disclosed the results of a poll administered by his organization that showed him lagging far behind Austin in voter name recog- n ion. O'Hara was third in the poll. RIEGLE DESIGNED his campaign stategy to overcome this problem. He his instituted a series of five-ninute No. 2 tries harder While the battle for presidential nom- ination is raging hot and heavy, some people are already looking at the num- her two spot. Already 27 members of ing Peter Rodino for the job. "He's the House of Representatives are back- flattered, of course," said one Rodino backer. "But he says the vice presi- dency isn't the type of job you cam- paign for." However, while Rodino isn't actively working for the nomination, he hasn't told anyone not to campaign for him. Rocket man Howard Hughes must have had a strange family life-at least if the latest will turned in is the real one. The 28th last will and testament of the late bil- lionaire arrived at the Clark County Courthouse in Nevada Wednesday. It leaves $400 million to a Dwayne Clyde Byron Hughes, identifying him as the billionaire's son "born in a flying saucer ocer Oklahoma in 1946." Happenings ... will keep you busy tonight. At 7 Pt1i. Tyagi Ji, a cosmic transmitter will hold a session in the Friend's Meet- ing House, 1420 Hill ... at 7:30 the Marx- ist Forum is sponsoring a forum on "The New Michigan Election Law: Threat to Political Liberty," featuring Rep. Perry Bullard, Human Rights Party leader Zolton Ferency and the Chairman of the Michigan Communist Party Tom- my Dennis, in the -Pendelton Arts rm. Of the Union ... at 8 a presentation entitled "Healing and Western Medi- cine" will be held at Canterbury House, 218 N. Division and there will be International Folk Dancing at 8:30 under the Dental School bldg. Weather or not More great weather today with sun- fY skies and a high around 78 degrees. television presentations aimed at ac- quainting the voter with his name and positions on the issues. O'Hara has taken a different approach to make his name a household word, using a series of short 30-second tele- vision spots., Although Austin is the acknowledged front-runner, he is also 63: the Riegle poll found a very large number of voters who would not cast ballots for a man over 6. AUSTIN'S AGE is sure to become an issue in the campaign but the can- didates seem reluctant to latch on to the issue. Elsman has charged Austin with accepting money from branch man- agers of the Secretary of State's office. Elsman is far behind in the race and most political observers agree that his candidacy is a long shot. The race is essentially between Aus- tin, Riegle, and O'Hara, and each hopes to draw from a certain power base, then make inroads into the others' support- ers. AUSTIN IS WELL-KNOWN in the state and received around 60 per cent of the vote in the state-wide race for the office he now holds. He received tremendous margins over his opponent in Detroit, is expected to repeat that margin in Detroit, and the other three candidates have pegged their hopes on garnering larger than expected margins there. Riegle is very strong in the outitate area and will probably do better now that State Senator John Otterbacher (Grand Rapids) has left the race. Riegle should pick up most of Otterbacher's support, though his chances hinge on resounding margins in the Detroit sub- urbs. O'Hara, however, is blocking Riegle's way in suburban Detroit. O'Hara has represented Macomb County in Wash- ington for almost 18 years and endeared the everlasting love of his constituents when he voiced opposition to proposed cross-district busing in 1972. tie hopes to gather enough support outstate to defeat Austin. ELsman has no power base to speak of but hopes he can appeal to enough people so he can receive a plurality over the other three. The vote will be very fragmented and this is a possibili- ty, but a dubious one. GEO, attacks 'U' proposals (continued from Page 1) to strike - for it seems to be the only way to reach you," Thurston argued with the six University negotiators. The bargainers approached the opo- position more vehemently on the fourth mentioned issue, affirmative action. "I FEEL the most outrageous part of your contract is affirmative action," Thurston said. "There was a regression on the issue of non-discrimination . . . you've confirmed all our fears about the University," GEt) had asked the University to coim- mit itself, in the contract, to implement- ing a comprehensive affirmative action program. It charged that under the pre- vi"us arrangement, whereby the agree- ment was mnerely appended to the con- tract in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding the University did not adequately fulfill the program goals. Now tEC) wants a means of enforce- ment. "The only reason I can see for your not putting it in the contract is because you don't plan to implement the pro- gram." Thurston said. SINCE THE affirmative action mea- sure directs University (departmental) hiring practices, administrators main- tain it is inappropriate in a labor con- tract. "Affirmative action is not an em- ployment issue," University chief bar- gainer John Forsyth countered. He also defended the University saying, as he did at previous sessions, that implemen- tation is underway and goals and time- tables are being set. GEC) also wants the individual depart- ments to recruit minority and women graduate students in order to raise their representation to national proportions. However, the faculty and administra- tion want to stay in control. Again, they hold the issue has nothing to do with employment, and say it deals with stu- dent enrollment. "It directly affects employment con- ditions," said Thurston. A SIGNIFICANT problem in these contract talks stems from two clashing perceptions of GSA roles. "We view them primarily as graduate students and secondarily as GSA's, they see it the other way around," Forsyth said after the meeting. "That is just their smoke screen to say they. want to do whatever they nlease," Dave Moran, GEG president said later. Thurston patiently explained at the meeting the GEO position, "We are in- terested in vital social change - . . we are trying to get it wherever and when- ever we can." HE CONTINUED, "There ought to be some firm guarantee which would push this University in that direction."-a contract clause. The non-discrimination discussion was no more compromising. GEO aimed to extend non-discrimination categories to include such issues as freedom of dress, and alcohol and drug use where it doesn't interfere with teaching perform- ance (this is referred to as a "non- relevant" behavior). They failed on these two and succeeded on others. But the factor most contested yester- day was the exclusion of non-discrimina- tion on the basis of sexual preference though it did appear in last year's con- tract. Forsyth explained to the Daily, "Un- der the way we defined it in the last contract it was okay for us but since they changed the definition of it (sex- ual preference) we can't go along with it." UNLIKE LAST year's definition of sexual preference which included free- dom to choose and sleep with a partner of the same sex, the addition allows for public displays of affection by homo- sexual GSA's. GEO says this mode of behavior is irrelevant to teaching per- formance. "It is the University's prerogative to decide what is relevant to teaching per- formance," Forsyth said. "You're giving the right to depart- ments to be homophobic, to be bigots?" Tsang queried. T I E ADMINISTRATION'S counter- proposal, after listing some specific non- discrimination factors, outlines a blan- ket policy which could conceivably in- clude sexual preference: "There shall be no discrimination in the application of the provisions of this agreement based on any other factors as determined by the University which could in no way interfere with job per- formance." "We'd be willing to go back to the definition that was in the last agree- ment . . . but think ours is a progres- sive proposal," Forsyth said outside the session. Lambasting the University for strik- ing a regressive stand, GEO bargainer Reynolds Monach said, "This says they'll discriminate when they want to and they won't discriminate when they don't want to." ARGUMENT REACHED a crescendo during exchange of economic issues when GEO bargainers hit the manage- ment with a demand for reduced GSA tuition rates. From the end of the long table the seldom - heard voice of University bar- gainer Charles Allmand boomed, "Do you know about 'coony'?" GEO faces screwed up in confusion for this sounded like a new breed of name-calling They responded, "What?" Repeating himself twice in vain, All- mand finally spelled it out, "C-U-N-Y", he said. "When you get a tuition-free arrangement you break the University," he said, referring to the recent payroll default of the City University of New York. RUT WHEN talk got back on track Forsyth said, "Tuition does not figure into your employment contract. The re- gents set the tuition for undergraduate students and graduates. You are stu- dents and tuition runs to student status." Administration members feel they are giving graduate students a valuable educational experience through a teach- ing position. "Tuition strongly reduces our net in- come - it is directly related to our po- sition not as graduate students but as employes," Thurston said. The University has offered GSA's a five per cent wage increase over the 14-month contract period. It has allowed GSA's to apply that increase to a tuition grant which would keep the tuition at present levels with a 3.2 per cent wage increase instead. "THEY'RE REALLY nut offering any raise at all," said GEO negotiator Bar- bara Weinstein. "In fact, it's a cut when you consider inflation. "That's going to be a tough thing to work on . . . it's completely unaccept- able," she added. Meanwhile, research assistants (RA's) have lost, in the University counterpro- posal, a minimum wage provision due to the high cost of research overhead and lack of funds to cover it. "DON'T USE us as your whipping boys," Moran quipped. Provisions for day care and teaching assistant training were absent from the University's cotnterproposal, evoking strong reaction from GEO members. Neither bargaining team would go so far to say a strike is in sight for fall. "THEIR POSITIONS at the table and degree of community outrage over their (the University's) position will deter- mine how long it will be before a settle- ment is reached," Moran said. "We're not only fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for the community." he added. If negotiations come down to the wire and no agreement is signed by October 5, the GEO membership will decide on whether or not to strike. "If they're willing to move on those issues (the major ones) then its likely we'll reach an agreement," Forsyth said for the University's opinion. "But if they think we're going to give them (exactly) what they're asking for, chances are slim we'll reach an agree- ment," he concluded.