The Michigan Daily-Thursday, July 31, 1980-Page 3
City set
back by
federal./
denial of
storm aid
By ELAINE RIDEOUT
While assessing the destruction left
in the aftermath of Tuesday's deluge,
city officials learned yesterday the
federal government has rejected a
state emergency-aid request for storm-
plagued southern Michigan.
Federal officials reportedly denied.
the aid because they were not convin-
ced the storm-related problem could
not be solved locally.
ASSISTANT CITY Administrator
Godfrey Collins said the city is
unequipped to handle the recent influx
of storm-inflicted damage. "We were
expecting to be designated a (federal)
disaster area," he said. "I don't know
what we're going to do now."
Without federal aid, Collins said, the
city is hoping for state aid to cover at
least 20 per cent of the damage costs in-
curred because of the storm.
Collins said city officials will meet
today to discuss funding alternatives.
MEANWHILE, WIDESPREAD
structural damage was reported
yesterday on North Campus as a result
of the second major storm to hit Ann
Arbor in two weeks.
According to Walter Stevens, director
of the University Department of Safety,
winds reaching 70 mph tore the roof off
the Aerospace Engineering Building,
causing some interior ceilings to cave
in. Roof damage was also reported at
the Art and Architecture Building and
several married housing apartment
units.
Windows were broken in the Art and
Architecture and Institute of Science
and Technology buildings, and about 20
trees were reported down, Stevens said.
IN ADDITION, A portion of
aluminum siding was ripped off a tem-
porary office located behind the IST
building, and a tree fell on the utility
shedservicing Nichols Arboretum.
A University spokesman estimated
Tuesday's storm damage costs to be
$150,000 to $200,000.
The spokesman said the federal
emergency aid refusal may mean the
University will have to absorb any
storm-related damage costs not
covered by insurance. '
DETROIT EDISON CO. spokesman
Fred- Sullivan said 6;500 Ann. Arbor
customers lost power Tuesday when 10-
12 transformers exploded. Edison
reported 250 local customers still
without power last night but indicated
all power should be restored by this
morning.
Faced with the aftermath of the July
16 storm, Mayor Louis Belcher
declared a local state of emergency last
week and petitioned Governor William
Milliken to apply for federal emergency
assistance.
"I deem this disaster to be beyond the Dmil Photo by JIM KRU
control of this political subdivision," UNIVERSITY WORKERS REPAIR the roof of the Art and Architecture
Belcher said in a written appeal to the building on North Campus yesterday. The problem was caused by Tuesday's
governor, violent thunderstorm. Damage on campus could cost up to $200,000 to repair,
See CITY, Page 11 the University estimated.
'U' to appeal rulintg on
GEO collective bargaining
By MITCH STUART
The University will appeal a July 14 ruling by an admin-
istrative lay judge which granted collective bargaining
rights to some graduate student assistants, President Harold
Shapiro said yesterday.
Graduate Employees Organization President Dave Kad-
lecek and Treasurer John Yates met with Shapiro yesterday
morning to discuss the ruling. At that time, Shapiro told them
it would be appealed, Kadlecek said.
ON JULY 14, Judge Shlomo Sperka of the Michigan Em-
ployment Relations Commission (MERC) ruled graduate
students who are teaching assistants or staff assistants are
employees of the University, and thus are entitled to
bargaining collectively. The judge also ruled, however, that
research assistants are not employees.
Sperka's -ruling would force the University to bargain with
GEO over contract terms at GEO's request. Kadlecek said
GEO would request that bargaining begin immediately if the
planned appeal is settled in GEO's favor.
If no exceptions are filed within 20 days after the ruling is
received by both parties, it automatically becomes the of-
ficial ruling of MERC.
ACCORDING TO SHAPIRO, the University Regents
decided three years ago to follow through with the GEO case
by filinWan.e'teptionwith.MERC iLnecessary., He said the ~
Regents have been consulted informally about the ruling and
"none have changed their position."
Kadlecek said he told Shapiro GEO members still feel
strongly about collective bargaining, and will not buckle or
fall apart under the presspre of an appeal.
"Basically, GEO has shown in the past four years that
we're going to stay around and we're not going to change our
character ... so the University, by appealing or delaying a
decision, isn't going to have GEO just disappear or change us
into a different kind of organization they can deal with more
easily," Kadlecek said.
BUT SHAPIRO SAID the University is not appealing or
delaying the case in an effort to weaken the GEO: "That's
not an issue as far as I'm concerned."
Kadlecek said of the GEO members he has talked to, most
were upset that the University will take exception to the
ruling, but were not extremely surprised. "It just confirmed
their low opinion . . . of the University administration," he
said.
Kadlecek said as soon as the University files its exception,
GEO will file a cross-exception which objects to the part of
the ruling saying research assistants are not employees.
Shapiro said he thinks the distinction made in the ruling
between research assistants and other graduate student
assistants is appropriate, and "a step in the right direction"
for the University.