Political 
Science 
Prof. 

Andrei 
Markovits 
launched 

his 
new 
book, 
“Hillel 
at 

Michigan 
1926/27-1945: 

Struggles of Jewish Identity 
in a Pivotal Era,” at the 
University of Michigan Hillel 
Building 
Sunday, 
the 
day 

before the organization’s 90th 
anniversary.

Markovits, 
the 
2007 

recipient of the University 
Golden 
Apple 
Award 
for 

outstanding 
teaching, 

discussed how he came to 
research Hillel — a community 
center for Jewish students on 
college campuses — in front of 

an audience of about 25 people. 
He said he initially planned on 
just looking at the history of 
Jews at the University, before 
realizing how significant Hillel 
was to campus.

“Very soon it became clear 

that a chapter alone would not 
suffice and that this institution 
was 
worthy 
of 
a 
book,” 

Markovits said. 

Markovits 
read 
excerpts 

from 
his 
new 
book, 

highlighting 
particularly 

noteworthy findings, including 
the national Hillel’s founding 
in 1923 Illinois by a Christian 
minister who wanted Jews to 
have a greater understanding 
of their religion before making 
its way to the University a few 

Earlier 
this 
month, 

employees of the People’s Food 
Co-Op — a member-owned 
Kerrytown grocery store — 
secured the right to organize, 
but the move was a relatively 
long time coming.

During the spring of 2016, 

grumblings of dissatisfaction 
began 
to 
spread 
among 

employees.

Staff 
had 
recently 
been 

cut, 
according 
to 
co-op 

employee 
Jason 
Williams, 

and the workload was being 
disproportionately spread onto 
those remaining with little 
additional compensation.

Amid these new challenges, 

the management purchased a 
$600 sign for the store’s cafe, 
which was more frustrating 
for Williams than the lack of 
compensation for additional 
work.

“You’re telling people who 

are making $10.50 an hour … 
to take on another extra hour 
of work that you have to do 
in the same amount of time, 
you’ve got to have some sort 
of 
compensation 
for 
that,” 

Williams 
said. 
“And 
we’re 

not getting compensated for 
that, but we’re spending what 
is greater than my two-week 
salary on a benign sign.”

More 
importantly, 

perceptions 
have 
grown 

among employees that their 
management 
was 
failing 

to 
address 
their 
concerns, 

according to several interviews. 
A number of these workers, 
led by co-op worker Phillip 
Bianco, quietly began pursuing 
formal unionization through 
the National Labor Relations 
Board.

In collaboration with the 

local chapter of the United 
Food and Commercial Workers 
International 
Union, 
the 

small band of workers laid the 

groundwork for an official 
application 
for 
an 
NLRB 

election: If the majority of 
PFC employees were to vote 
in favor, they would be legally 
recognized as a bargaining unit.

After months of planning, 

around eight of the employees 
appeared at the Co-op’s Nov. 
16 board meeting to air their 
grievances 
and 
announce 

their NLRB election filing. 
Immediately 
afterward, 
the 

co-op board held an emergency 
extended session behind closed 
doors.

“There was definitely some 

shock at the board meeting,” 
said Ashley Secord, one of the 
employees at the meeting who 
spoke in favor of unionization.

Two days later, the co-op 

contracted David Parmenter 
and 
Associates, 
a 
human 

resources 
consultancy 
that 

Saturday, Jill Stein, former 

Green Party presidential nominee, 
came to Detroit to discuss the 
Michigan 
Supreme 
Court’s 

decision to halt a state recount 
of votes in the 2016 election to a 
crowd of about 20 people.

“Do we have a voting system we 

can trust?” she asked the crowd.

Stein’s recount initiative has 

gained national attention and 
support after raising over $7 
million to conduct a recount 
process in Michigan, Pennsylvania 
and Wisconsin — three states 
where 
President-elect 
Donald 

Trump narrowly won. Though 
former Democratic presidential 
nominee Hillary Clinton did not 
initiate the recount, her campaign 
expressed support for the process. 
All three states would have to be 
flipped to Clinton for the overall 
election outcome to change. 

However, 
the 
Michigan 

Supreme Court ended the recount 
effort in Michigan last week after 
complaints the recount would 
waste taxpayer money, because 
Stein came fourth in the state 
and there was a slim chance of 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, December 12, 2016

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVI, No. 45
©2016 The Michigan Daily

NEWS......................... 2A

OPINION.....................4A

CL A SSIFIEDS .............. 5A

SUDOKU..................... 2A

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A

SPORTSMONDAY..........1B

See HILLEL, Page 3A

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the Deltaplex for his Thank You Tour 2016 in Grand Rapids Friday.

GRAND 
RAPIDS 
— 
This 

weekend marked another stop 
on 
President-elect 
Donald 

Trump’s “USA Thank You Tour 
2016” across the country. The 
president-elect last stopped in 

the city almost a month earlier 
to the day, where he held the 
final rally of his campaign at the 
DeVos Place Convention Center. 
That night he announced it 
was the “beginning of a new 
adventure, an adventure to make 
America great again” — a month 
into his tenure as president-
elect, an adventure is one way to 

put the experience.

In many areas of Michigan, 

the aftermath of the election 
has been marked with hate 
crimes and protests including 
at the University of Michigan. 
However, there have also been 
displays of support, such as 
during Trump’s visit. 

Friday night at the Deltaplex 

Arena in Grand Rapids — even 
amidst 
a 
blizzard 
outside 

and reactions from the past 
month — spirits were high and 
red MAGA hats bountiful, as 
supporters awaited the man 
whom they expected to bring 
change. Though the election 
itself did not come down to the 

See RECOUNT, Page 2A

CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily

People’s Food Co-op is located near the corner of North 4th Avenue and Catherine Street in Ann Arbor.

Stopped the bleeding

After a third straight 

blowout loss Friday against 

Wisconsin, the Michigan 

hockey team recovered 

to beat the Badgers, 4-1, 

Saturday at Yost Ice Arena

» Page 1B

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See CO-OP, Page 3A

See TRUMP, Page 3A

LSA 
freshman 
Sikander 

“Sonny” Khan, a volunteer at 
his local hospital, nursing home 
and high school, was recently 
named the state of Michigan’s 
2016 Youth Volunteer of the 
Year — though in an interview, 
he said hates award ceremonies.

“I hate the process of them,” 

he said. “I like seeing results 
as opposed to just getting an 
award.”

Khan received the Youth 

Volunteer 
award 
at 
the 

Governor’s Service Awards, a 
ceremony dedicated to honor 
Michigan residents, programs 
and businesses which have 
gone above and beyond in their 
goals of creating a lasting and 
positive impact across the state 
of Michigan, according to the 
Michigan Community Service 
Commission’s 
website. 
In 

addition to the Service Award, 
additional 
honors 
such 
as 

Corporate Community Leader 
and Senior Volunteer of the 
Year are also given out annually 
at the awards ceremony.

Khan said he is appreciative 

See VOLUNTEER, Page 3A

Prof. talks 
new book on 
Hillel at the 
University

Trump embraces his election win 
in Grand Rapids leg of victory tour 

ADMINISTRATION

Andrei Markovits discusses history of 
organization

DAVID DORSKY

For the Daily

President-elect talks Cabinet nominees, manufacturing jobs to excited crowd

EMMA KINERY
Daily News Editor

Stein rallies 
over halted 
Michigan 
recount

GOVERNMENT

Green Party candidate 
details concerns with 
voting in the state

NISA KHAN

Daily Staff Reporter

People’s Food Co-Op employees push 
to form a store union amid concerns

Staff at member-owned Kerrytown grocery store point to compensation

BRIAN KUANG
Daily Staff Reporter 

‘U’ student 
wins state 
award for 
volunteering

CAMPUS LIFE

Freshman wins 2016 
Governor’s Service 
Award

NEIL SCHWARTZ
Daily Staff Reporter

