LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 9, 1999 - 19A Glory night Detroit teachers agree to end t' < strike, set to begin school today DETROIT (AP) - Detroit's striking teachers voted overwhelmingly yesterday to return to work in the morning, ending an extended summer vacation for 180,000 students. Teachers approved a temporary extension of their old contract until the union can hold a secret vote by mail to decide whether to ratify the deal reached Monday between negotiators for the school district and the 1,500-member Detroit Federation of Teachers. Teachers went on strike Aug. 30, one day before classes were to begin, after rejecting their union's pro- posal for a 10-day contract extension while t1lks about the new contract continued. Thousands of teachers attended yesterday morn- ing's meeting on the temporary act at Cobo Center, debating for about 90 minutes before ending the strike on a voice vote. "It was more than what we expected. We got an overwhelming vote of confidence from our mem- bers," said union negotiator Keith Johnson. "It's certainly an improvement from what was initially proposed." David Adamany, the district's interim chief execu- tive, welcomed the teachers back to school. "We are very pleased with the teachers' decision to return to school immediately. We believe that the return to schools will allow Detroit Public Schools to maintain the momentum that was developed for improvements in the school system," Adamany said in a written statement. Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, who took control of the ailing district last spring after Gov. John Engler called for changes in Detroit's education system, scheduled a late afternoon news conference to discuss the vote. Schools in Detroit, the nation's 10th-largest city, have been beset by mismanagement and chronically low test scores, attendance and graduation rates, prompting the state Legislature to vote to remove the elected school board and replace it with a board appointed by Archer. But some of the reforms proposed by the new board - including a longer school day and merit pay - AP PHOTO Bruce Spingsteen and the E Street Band, including saxaphonist Clarence Clemons, left, perform at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills last night. Lawsuit claims Lsurance refund *system was unfair AP PAROo Members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers debate whether to return to work at a meeting yesterday in A Detroit. The union later ratified an agreement and returned to work this morning. were sidelined when the teachers voted to strike. to help advance the reforms, insisted that merits ay The new three-year contract dropped the district's still could be imposed without union approval. He id merit pay plan, which proposed that teachers receive the Michigan Employment Relations Commission raises only in those schools whose test scores would be asked to decide the issue. improved. The union argued such a plan would be But Ruth Okun, the commission's director, said yes- unfair to top teachers in lower-performing schools. terday that the commission doesn't have the power to But the teachers pushed for and partially got anoth- give an advisory opinion on merit pay. Adamany er reform: a plan to reduce class size. The tentative would first have to take some action, then the unon agreement grants their demand starting next year, but would have to file a complaint, before her departnent only in kindergarten to third grade. could review it, she said. 1 "Reforming this district is not an overnight process. The district dropped its proposal to lengthen F he It will take years of planning, evaluation and revalua- school day from 6 hours to 8 1/2 hours. Teachers had tion" said union President John Elliott. "I'm glad it said making classes smaller was a more important (the contract) turned out the way it did. But we still reform. But the tentative agreement would impse have a long way to go. more restrictions on unexcused absences of teachers, For example, Adamany, hired as head of the district a board priority. U 6{ LANSING (AP) - A lawsuit has been filed charging that Michigan insurance companies billed many state motorists when they refunded $1.2 bil- lion last year in premiums. The suit says that, by reimbursing motorists insured as of March 18, 1998, the insurance companies missed giving money to many people who had paid into the system for years but were not insuried on that date. "The distribution system was arbitrary, capricious and fundamen- tally unfair" because it missed such motorists and paid the same amount to each person regardless of how long they'd been paying for such coverage, the class-action lawsuit states. It asks the court to adjust the SI180 refundsto reflect the correct amounts, md to order that a more accurate reim- ,ursement system be used in the future. be suit was filed in Wayne County circuit Court. The attorney representing drivers ctallenging the distribution said pick- irg a single date as the one on which divers qualified or failed to qualify for tIr rebate wasn't fair. "Being simple doesn't make it right," sad Detroit attorney Stephen Wasinger, adling that no hearings have been slat- edin the case. gut Doug Cruce, president of the Mithigan Insurance Federation, caled the lawsuit's arguments "bous." "We see his as a group of attorneys out fishing for a lawsuit," he said. "The combanies had no choice...It was refunded exactly the way it was collect- ed." Crice argued that the only fair way to refind money was to reimburse peo- ple wio had insurance coverage on a certain date. Know OF NEWS? CALL 76-DAILY "What's the logic of returning something to somebody who's moved out of state? There's no question" it was done correctly - Doug Cruce President of the Michigan Insurance Federation "Where's the logic of returning something to somebody who's moved out of state?" he asked. "There's no question" it was done correctly. The refund was ordered by the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, a private board of insurance companies. The fund pays medical claims above $250,000 for those severely injured in auto acci- dents. Gloria Freeland, general manager of the MCCA, said Wednesday she had no comment on the lawsuit, which was assigned to Circuit Judge Daphne Means Curtis. Last year's refund came after it as reported the MCCA fund's surplus had grown to $2.5 billion. The MCCA board bowed to legislative pressure and returned $1.2 billion to policy holders. This year, motorists are paying $5.60 for each vehicle insured to support the catastrophic claims fund. i 314"11 aa iFLaaiL 1 UeMr Cre 8~~d 0 I I :s *e nc Ann rnac I -TREEAR*HWIINSIT V d t v . K v vvwe r v Aat !mot "t tilt l:. ATtJCH tA1' t/l TF Q'9 ' I I J I SALE! NEW LEATHER JACKETS$75 , When it comes to the pinteret there are two kinds: % Those who Those who 9ht u and check 0ut the