GOP platform
panel adopts
anti-ERA stance
DETROIT (UPI) - A Republican
platform subcommittee shunned the
party's historical support for the Equal
Rights Amendment yesterday and
adopted tough, conservative, anti-ERA
language as the GOP position for 1980.
The panels action, which will be
challenged by ERA supporters in the
full Platform Committee later and
perhaps on the convention floor next
week, came although Ronald Reagan -
who opposes ERA - said he could run
on a platform supporting it.
BACKING FOR the ERA has been in
every Republican platform since 1940,
but the new language would leave the
issue up to state legislatures and blasts
the Carter White House for pressuring
states to ratify the amendment.
Party moderates led by national
Chairman Bill Brock, former Chairman
Mary Louise Smith, Gov. William
Milliken and members of the
Republican Women's Task Force are
expected to work to modify the
language.
But it appeared anti-ERA forces have
the votes to keep out of the platform any
language renewing support for the
amendment.
THE VOTE pleased Phyllis Schlafly,
an anti-ERA leader, who had advocated
the language that eventually was adop-
ted.
"I think that was a good compromise
and is fine," she said.
ERA opponents had not hoped to win
such conservative language and some
were prepared to compromise by
leaving the issue out of the platform
altogether.
BY A VOTE of 11-4, the subcommit-
tee defeated a move by ERA supporters
to adopt the 1976 platform language,
which read:
"The Republican Party reaffirms its
support for ratification of the Equal
Rights Amendment. Our party was the
first national party to endorse ERA in
A mass raid by U.S. Army Air Force
bombers wreaked severe damage on
Tokyo Nov. 24, 1944. The first land-
based attack on the Japanese capital,
the raid was launched from Saipan in
the Marianas. Despite the great distan-
ce to be covered, each plane carried six
tons of bombs.
1940. We continue to believe its us
ratification is essential to ensure equal
rights for all Americans.
Then it approved a resolution by
delegate Marilyn Thayer of New
Orleans saying the GOP supports
"equal rights and equal 6pportunities
for women, without taking away
traditional rights of women such as
exemption from the military draft." AP Photo
It said ratification of ERA is a state A ht
issue, and assailed the White House and ANTI-ERA ACTIVIST Phyllis Schlafly, left, joins Tottie Ellis and Shirley
federal departments for applying Curry at a session of the subcommittee on Human Resources that met yes-
"pressure against states which refused terday in Detroit. The subcommittee came together as part of the platform
to ratify ERA." hearings for the Republican National Convention, whose members decided
yesterday to drop support of the ERA.
Detrot AFSCME picket,
lines honored b unions
Y-
DETROIT (UPI)-A large segment
of Detroit's labor community pledged
yesterday to honor picket lines set up
by 9,000striking municipal workers ina
walkout threatening to disrupt the
Republican National Convention.
In another wrinkle to the city's in-
creasingly muddied labor picture, elec-
trical workers in six area counties an-
nounced plans to walk off the job at
midnight in a contract dispute of their
own.
UNION SPOKESMEN, however, said
they had "a commitment" to continue
work on the convention, which opens
Monday.
The latest developments came as an
angry Mayor Coleman Young warned
"hell will freeze over" before the city
gives in to the current contract deman-
ds of striking city workers.
Officials of 17 unions representing
non-striking city employees and
various trades met late yesterday to
discuss the eight-day walkout by Coun-
cil 25 of the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Em-
ployees.
THOMAS TURNER, president of the
Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO, said the
union officials expressed "total support
for AFSCME and their strike.
"All the unions represented here
today agreed that they will honor their
AFSCME picket lines wherever they
are put up," Turner said. "We ... have
a united front in the labor community of
this city."
Turner then headed for a meeting
with Young to outline the union pledge
and try to move talks between the pity
and AFSCME, whose strike has halted
city buses, garbage pickups and other
services.
TURNER SAID HE was confident if
the two sides would intensify
negotiations, which were set to resume
at 10 p.m. EDT, the walkout could be
settled "in the next few hours if not the
next few days."
Represented at the earlier meeting
were the United Auto Workers, Team-
sters, Communications Workers of
America, Detroit building and trades
unions, Service Employees and unions
representing Detroit police and
firefighters.
Although notinghe expected police
and firefighters to "discharge their
responsibilities," Turner said he would
not be surprised to see them honor
picket lines-even one around police
headquarters.
The dispute involving Local 58 of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers was unrelated to the AFSCME
walkout.
IBEW officials said union members
rejected a contract offer from the
Southeast Michigan chapter of the
National Electrical Contractors
Association by a wide margin in a mail