LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 5, 1996-- 5A UAW to target Ford in strike action N UAW President Yokich reportedly breaks with tradition DETROIT (AP) - United Auto Workers President Stephen Yokich appears bent on breaking with tradition and keeping the Big Three guessing as national contract talks intensify. The UAW began intense bargain- ing yesterday with Ford Motor Co., which Yokich designated Tuesday as the target company. Union and Ford officials said they hope to complete a new national contract within the next 10 days. Yokich has repeatedly deviated from UAW tradition since these negotiations, his first as president, began in June. He began the initial talks with Ford, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp. earlier than usual. He said he would announce the target company on Aug. 22, also earlier than in the past. But when that date came around, Yokich said he was delaying the announcement. When he finally informed Ford's top negotiators that the company was the union's choice, he made no public announcement. But by yesterday, union and company officials were acknowl- edging the obvious. "Ford does not dispute that the UAW has named Ford as the lead company" company spokesperson Jon Harmon said. Union and industry officials also said Yokich ordered lower-level talks to con- tinue at GM and Chrysler. In past nego- tiations, once a target was selected, the UAW recessed talks with the other two companies. When an agreement was reached with the target, it was used as a "pattern" for contracts with the other companies. As another signal that the UAW is approaching these talks differently, Yokich has refused to use the terms "target" - he prefers "lead company" - or "pattern bargaining." Harley Shaiken, a University of California-Berkeley labor professor who closely monitors the talks, said Yokich likes to keep everyone guessing. It works to his advantage. "He's already broken any number of precedents in this set of contract talks," Shaiken said. "lf precedents get in the way of maximizing his leverage, he throws them away in an instant." By keeping Chrysler and GM at the table, Yokich is retaining his prerogative to change the target should the union reach an impasse at Ford, said Dale Brickner, a labor professor at Michigan State University. "Yokich left the door ajar for Chrysler or GM to rush in with a better deal," Brickner said. "I think the mes- sage is, 'We think we can get a deal out of Ford, but if you guys still want to be in the poker game we'll sit down at the table with you between now and the 14th and talk about it."' The current three-year contracts expire Sept. 14. UAW spokesperson Karl Mantyla said Ford and the union will keep meeting daily until an agree- ment is reached. Yokich's challenge is to get a contract that covers the entire industry while rec- ognizing each company's different competitive status. Shaiken said the decision to keep bargaining with all three companies allows the UAW to get a reaction from GM and Chrysler to any Ford proposals before they are cast in a signed contract. "He'll push the envelope at Ford, but he's not going to try to rip it," Shaiken said. "He realizes whatever he gets at Ford he's got to sell at GM." When the talks began, conventional wisdom was that cash-rich Chrysler would be the likely target. But Chrysler reportedly was less willing to consider limits on outsourcing, and when the Canadian Auto Workers decided to tar- get Chrysler, the UAW's focus turned to Ford and GM. GM has the most UAW members of the Big Three, but also has a host of problems that make its contract the most difficult to negotiate. The biggest issue of these talks is outsourcing, the practice of contracting for parts from outside, usually nonunion, suppliers. Ford and Chrysler outsource considerably more of their parts work than GM does. In March, GM's North American operations were virtually shut down by a strike over outsourcing at two parts plants in Dayton, Ohio. GM wants to buy more parts from outside suppliers to cut its costs, which are the highest of the Big Three. But Yokich is intent on stemming the loss of jobs covered by the UAW, which today has about half the members it had in 1979. "The UAW went to Ford because they feel they can get the best frame- work for new language on outsourcing," Shaiken said. U U University of Wisconsin -Platteville "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. T'hat is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." -Henry David Thoreau B bJOE WESTRATE/Daily Buying books Dozens of students wait in line at Shaman Drum Bookstore yesterday to purchase books for their classes. The line extended out onto State Street below the stairs. [ 1 1PA RKING Continued from Page 1A "I generally don't drive - I have my spot and my car stays there, said LSA *senior Jenny Schneps. "It's much faster to walk and I don't have enough patience to find a spot." But Sheldon says Ann Arbor's park- ing problems are not likely to improve for some time because parking systems have not been well maintained. "Right now we don't have the resources to improve parking," she said. "There is all kinds of competition on all parking spaces and we are getting less ,tolerant about illegal parking than we used to be - it's always going to be tough." CONFLICTS Continued from Page 1A problems or who cannot agree with instructors about what an "unreasonable : burden" is are directed to contact higher *authorities, including the chair of the department, the dean of the school, or the ombudsperson, for assistance. "Students have never been informed of this before' Scaglione said. "That's a principal difference. ... Now we all know the rules of the game." After the provost's office approved Scaglione's policy, Provost J. Bernard Machen sent a memo to all faculty members. "Although the University of WORK FOR THE DAILY GRAPHICS STAFF. CALL 76- DAILY.. Learn Your Way Around The World " Study abroad in Seville, Spain, or London, England, for a summer, for a semester or for a full academic year *"Courses in liberal arts and international business * Fluency in a foreign language M91 required " Home-stays with meals " Field trips SFlnancialaid applies (except for summer session) Program Costs: e For tuition, room, board and field trips " In Seville; Spain $5,500 (fall or spring) for Wisconsinresidents $5,750 (fall or spring) for non-residents " In London, England $4,525 (fall), $4,775 (spring) for Wisconsin residents $4,775 (fall), $5,025 (spring) for non-residents Application deadlines: * April 1 for summer session * April 30 for fall semester " October 15 (Seville), November 15 (London) for spring semester For a program description and an application, call toil free: 1-800-342-1725 or e-mail: StudyAbroad@uwplatt.edu JOE WESTRATE/Daily AAPD Parking Enforcement Officer Missie Pressly tickets a vehicle yesterday on State Street. sa Michigan, as an institution, does not observe religious holidays, it has long been the University's policy that every reasonable effort should be made to help students avoid negative academic conse- quences when their religious obligations conflict with academic requirements, Machen stated in the letter. However, many professors said they already were flexible with students with regards to religious-academic conflicts. "I'm very lenient and flexible," said physics Prof. Fred Adams. "I was always tolerant of such things." Adams said that to accommodate stu- dents he does not schedule exams on religious holidays and routinely photo- copies notes for students who miss class. Prof. Shannon Anderson also said she is accommodating to students. "It's never been an issue in my class. Students are excused for religious holi- days;' she said. But LSA junior Dan Serota, who observes Jewish holidays, said that stu- dents have encountered hardships in the past. Serota said he has not personally experienced problems. But he said "a lot of my friends have not been as lucky." "I think (the policy) is a really good idea," Serota said. Ponni Perumalswami, an LSA junior and member of the Hindu Students' Council, also said the policy is a good idea. 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