The Michigan Dally Vol. XCI, No. 45-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Wednesday, July 22, 1981 Ten Cents Twelve Pages R10 R (S r -O hin es on 20cetstm Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM Ready ... Aim.. . Art Fair preparations begin a day in advance as artists and craftsmen gather to set up the booths that will display the results of months of hard work. Engineering student *now a skilled*jeweler From AP and UPI WASHINGTON-The U.S. Postal Service and its two largest unions reached a $4.8 billion agreement yesterday on a tentative three-year contract that avoided a nationwide strike but is hinged financially on a 20- cent stamp. The contract calls for raises and bonuses amounting to $2,100 over the three years, plus cost of living in- creases, for a half-million postal workers, who now average $19,915 an- nually. IN ANNOUNCING the accord, Post- master General William Bolger said the independent federal agency can pay for the pact with a 20-cent first-class mail rate-two cents a letter more than Americans pay now. Bolger was joined by President Moe Biller of the American Postal Workers Union and President Vincent Sombrotto of the National Association of Letter Carriers in announcing the agreement on the new contract, reached after a marathon 30-hour bargaining session. The old pact had expired at midnight Monday. Federal mediator Nicholas Fidandis assured reporters "this is the real thing" in announcing the new three- year pact. THAT WAS A reference to the rever- sal earlier in the day when union leaders said they "hit the roof" after finding that the mail agency's fine print didn't square with the promises which led them to rescind yesterday's strike deadline. Bother, Biller, and Sombrotto said they would recommend their 500,000 members approve the pact. "We feel its a good contract and the membership should ratify it," Biller added. He said the agreement main- tains current provisions for cost of living increases without a cap or health benefit premiums, both hotly contested points during the hard bargaining sessions. "THE ONLY KIND of cap in this con- tract is a letter carrier's cap," said Sombrotto. The unions had threatened an illegal strike, but hour-by-hour bargaining continued with the aid of federal mediators and union leaders told the members to keep sorting and delivering the mail. The threat of strike prompted the Postal Service to line up military and National Guard units for possible postal duty moving priority mail, plus steps to allow the use of private firms normally barred from mail delivery in com- petition with the Postal Service. BUT THERE were no reports of ser- By PAM FICKINGER Daily staff writer When Joe Cyberski was going to school at Michigan Technical College he was studying to be a chemical engineer. But after leaving school and' working as a carpenter for a while, he was looking for something new. Driven partly by the desire to be his own boss, he became an artist. Now, like many other artists, Cyber- ski spends much of his time traveling around the country and working art fairs. And this week, like many other artists, he has come to what he calls the "best, most incredible" art fair in the country-the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair. CYBERSKI SAID he travels to about 25 art fairs each year in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Oregon. But, when he's not working the fairs, he's working on his craft-jewelry. During the summer, Cyberski says it is. not unusual for him to work up to 14 hours a day. And, although the hours are long, he says because of the in- dependence "It's an exciting lifestyle. I really enjoy it." Just as many of the other artists who frequent the fairs, Cyberski said he has a lot of repeat customers and referrals. He adds that at a lot of the smaller fairs customers will ask what fair he will be at next. CYBERSKI DOESN'T feel that there is a lot of competition among the jewelers at the fair because each artist has developed his or her own style so there's a lot of variety and no need for direct competition. He adds that among the artists there's a good relationship and that they regularly help each other out. Most of Cyberski's work is done in silver and semi-precious stones. He See ART, Page9 Bolger .advises 20-cent stamp vice disruptions such as the wildcat strikes that marked the expiration of the postal contract in 1978. Federal law forbids strikes by postal workers and other federal employees. Any differences that exist at the ex- piration of a contract are supposed to go to binding arbitration, but union leaders were opposed to that and said they would strike instead. The average postal worker will receive an extra $300 in wages each year in addition to cost-of-living ad- justments, and will be eligible for $1,200 in bonuses over the three-year life of the pact, Biller said. BILLER WAS asked if his union got what it wanted and he said, "We didn't get what we wanted, and that's a fact. However, we got enough for me to say it's a good contract, and I recommend approval." The ratification procedure will take about 30 days, Sombrotto said. The Postal Service has twice asked the independent Postal Rate Com- mission to give it a 20-cent stamp and twice been turned down. The agency has filed a third request and Bolger has said he hopes the boost from 18 cents will be approved by August. Union spokesmen said personal in- tervention by Bolger during the final hours of the marathond talks helped resolve final deadlocks and bring about the settlement. Earlier, Bolger had conceded that "we had a misunderstanding" over the pre-dawn offer which prompted labor leaders to order their members to stay on the job. But, said Bolger, "the mail is being delivered, people are working, and isn't that good news?"