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THEAMC+IGAN DAILX
Thursday, August 5, .1976
De-certification election begins today
(csutaueIdTfromPae 1-1
improprieties and slated a new
election for June.
- TIE JUNE elections result-
ed in an union leadership split
between the two parties. While
CDU gained 8 of the 13 posi-
tions up for election, Unity's
Debbie Moorehead edged CDU's
Carolyn Weeks in a presiden-
tial run-off.
Disillusioned by the poor con-
tract and the intra-union strife,
de-certification proponents be-
gan circulating petitions in the
early spring of 1976. By late
May and early June, de-certifi-
cation organizers presented the
Michigan Employment Rela-
tions Commission (MERC) with
some 1029 valid signatures on
a petition calling for the abolish-
ment of local 2001. The number
of signatures slightly exceed-
ed the required 30 per cent of
the bargaining unit.
The August de-certification
election dates were set in a
meeting of union and de-certifi-
cation representatives in early
July.
UNION 0 F F I C E R S
have mounted a strong effort
to counter-act the de-certifica-
tion movement. The union has
charged that the University
has been involved in the de-
certification movement, and has
accused University supervis-
ors of having passed out de-
certification cards.
However-, union officials con-
cede that they have no posi-
tive proof of University mis-
conduct and can find no clerical
to testify to that effect before
MERC. De-certification leaders
also strongly deny this allega-
tion.
Union president Debbie
Moorehead has also attacked
the de-certification action for
raising issues that were "to-
tally false." Moorehead espe-
cially criticized a de-certifica-
tion claim that clericals could
negotiate their own contract
and grievances, calling the is-
sue a "smokescreen". She in-
sisted a contract was essential
to clericals'because it legally
guarantees wage benefits and
grievance procedures.
DE-CERTIFICATION leaders
have admitted that they may
be taking a risk if the union de-
certifies. "If we decertify,"
said one de-certification organ-
izer. "we'll have to take what
the University gives us. We're
sticking our necks out."
-f the clericals vote to de-
certify, another union cannot be
formed for a year, according to
state law Should the union
survive, they will immediately
begin bargaining with the Uni-
versity for a new contract in
what promises to be a long
and arduous series of negotia-
tions.
Meanwhile, in a further de-
velopment yesterday, the All-
Campus Labor Council of the
University (ACLC) pledged
support for Local 2001. The
ACLC includes Local 1583 of
the American Federation of the
State, County and Municipal
Employees; the Washtenaw
County Building Trades Coon-
cil' the Michigan Nursing As-
sociation;' the University of
Michigan House Officers As-
sociation ; Local 2001 of the
United Auto Workers; and the
Graduate Employees Organiza-
tion ' American Federation of
Teachers Local 3550.
,
IN A statement released yes-
terday, the Council stated,
"Desnite the difficulties which
UAW local 2001 has faced, we
believe that a "No Union"
vote wotld leave clericals vul-
nerable to arbitrary decisions
by the University Administra-
tion."
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