Crash!!!
Crane
falls by
building
BY ERIC LEMONT
Joy Borton, an administrative
secretary in the University's De-
partment of Statistics, was on the
telephone when parts of a giant crane
flew past her second floor Mason
Hall office window.
"I won't repeat what I said when I
heard it coming down," Borton said.
She said the crane came crashing
down, shaking nearby beams.
The crane apparently lost control
early Monday morning during con-
struction of the University's Central
Campus Computing Library.
There were no injuries reported.
Talbot said the crane operator warned
the supervisor, via two-way radio,
that he was losing control.
"Everyone had time to run," he said.
This included witnesses inside the
building as well. Robb Muirhead,
associate chair of the Statistics De-
partment, said he was working when
he heard a loud crash. "I saw all the
girders shaking, so I took off," he
said.
John Talbot, owner of the con-
tracted construction company, said
he had "no idea" what made the
boom - the long neck of the crane
- collapse. He said there may have
been too much weight at the end of
the crane while it was in a nearly
horizontal position.
The crane was loading three to
four thousand-pound steel beams
when the mishap occurred. Talbot
said the crane probably "overextended
its reach when moving the beams.
When the neck stretches out, its ca-
pabilities are greatly reduced."
University property suffered min-
imal damage, workers said.
The Michigan Daily - Friday, June 10, 1988- Page 3
Protesters call
for additional
local housing
BY MICHAEL DEMPSEY transitional housing for women who
About 70 Ann Arbor residents are victims of abuse; and a perma-
linked criticisms of military spend- nent site for the day shelter in Ann
ing and a call for affordable local Arbor.
housing at a "Build Homes Not
Bombs" rally Monday, after which
about 60 protesters the night H os
in a"tent city" on the lawn of ity "
Hall.
The group, sponsored by the na- (
tional Jobs With Peace Campaign,
built a shanty on the steps of the
downtown Federal Building. Their1b u m s'
actions mirrored similar protests in
18 other states last weekend, such as
building a shanty on the steps of the BY PATRICK STAIGER
Pentagon and a cardboard box city in When you reach to shake Ross
East Texas. . Hiene's hand, you see his right arm
"My rights as a human being is slightly swollen and disabled.
were violated, because there isn't This may not stop you from shaking
enough (housing) in Ann Arbor," his left hand - that is, if you will
said speaker Robin Alvarez, who shake the hand of a former homeless
works at the Domestic Violence person.
Project. Alvarez, who said she was a
victim of domestic violence, said she Last year, Hiene lost his job as
and her two children had to move an Ann Arbor School District
twice a year for five years because custodian, and then his home, after
she couldn't afford to live in the he severely broke his arm falling
city. down a flight of stairs. Because he
CARRYING signs proclaim- had not worked for a long enough
ing, "Tax dollars for death or for day time, he was unable to get worker's
care?" the protesters constructed a compensation. Hiene was forced to
shanty and carried it down Fifth stay at Huron Shelter in Ann Arbor.
Street to City Hall. Hiene now works with Ann Ar-
"We want both the city and the bor's Homeless Action Committee,
federal government to take responsi- and wrote "Joey's Story," a play
bility for affordable housing," said about the homeless. On the tent-
Ann Arbor Tenants' Union worker filled lawn in front of City Hall at
Claudia Green. the "Build Homes Not Bombs"
Several demonstrators then spoke protest Monday night, he and others
to the Ann Arbor City Council, rec- talked about their experiences as Ann
ommending that it support a bill Arbor's untouchables.
before the U.S. Congress. The bill,
sponsored by Rep. Ronald Dellums Someone from a passing car
(D-Cal.), would create "permanently shouted, "Get a job! Go home, ass-
affordable housing by significant re- holes!" to the students and towns-
ductions in the military budget." people sitting in small groups on
City Councilmembers Jeff Epton the lawn.
(D-3rd Ward), Ann Marie Coleman
(D-1st Ward) and Larry Hunter (D- "They call us bums. We're not
1st Ward) proposed a similar bill to bums," said Hiene, adding that bro-
the council, but lost 6-4. ken homes, drug or alcohol abuse,
MAYOR Gerald Jernigan, a Re- spouse and child abuse, and unem-
publican, said he"never saw a copy ployment were all different reasons
of the (Dellums) bill. They were for being homeless.
asking us to vote on something we
dida't see." According to a summary Hiene said homeless intemnalize
of the bill, Jernigan said, the bill the rejection they receive. "The self-
would transfer ownership of pri- pity comes in, and you just don't
vately-owned housing to non-profit care," he said. "People passed me on
organizations, which he opposed. the street, and laughed, and the fact
But Green said she would con- that I was homeless made it worse.
tinue lobbying the city- for similar In colder months, Ann Arbor's
resolutions. "We remain committed shelters house many of the city's
to having some sort of progressive 1 500rhomeless. The shelter closes
housing policy instituted," she said. its doors at 7:30 p.m. and everyone
During the protest, Green read a must leave by 7 a.m.
list of 11 demands for the city to
implement, including single-room "We have our own names foi
occupancy housing that people ear- Huron and Arbor Haven Shelters,'
ing minimum wage or on govern- said Hiene. "'Helter Shelter' and
ment aid programs can afford; a .P 5
A crane helping to build the new computer center in Mason
Hall toppled over last Monday. Officials say the collapse was
probably duc to extra weight. Nobody was injured.
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University maintenance
workers ratify
BY ERIC LEMONT
The University's maintenance and service workers'
union ratified a contract last night which includes a
four percent wage increase over the next two years.
The American Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees voted 751-439 to approve the
contract, which the University and the union finished
negotiating last Saturday.
The contract, which takes effect July 1 and will ex-
pire on June 30, 1990, also established days off for
personal reasons and greater flexibility for funeral vis-
its.
AFSCME president Leroy Carter said, "We're satis-
fied with (the contract). The vote speaks for itself." He
said the union negotiators made "no concessions what-
soever."
James Thiry, Director of University Personnel and
chief negotiator for the university, called the contract "a
new contract
good agreement for both parties."
The two sides negotiated the contract, which mem-
bers of the union received copies of in an informa-
tional meeting on Tuesday, during the past week.
Carter said the contract also called for the allowance
of three personal discretion days a year. This provision
allows workers to take time off for personal reasons,
without having to draw on their emergency vacation
time.
Additionally, workers can now visit the funerals of a
"significant other." In the old contract, funeral leaves
were restricted to family members only.
Earlier in the month, workers expressed an interest
in having a day off on Martin Luther King's birthday.
Though the issue did not appear in the contract, Carter
said "we will pursue it again" when the new contract
expires.
The pay hike will go into effect June 12.
nee n u, aw