EDITORIAL
Avoid strike, work
to pass pay raise
University union workers are threatening to strike
and every student, faculty and staff member should be
worried.
Imagine no cooks in the cafeterias and dirty dorm
halls. What if this campus lost all its public safety offi
cers? How would you foe! if you walked into Oregon
Hall and there was no one there to help you? The term
“Oregon Hell’* would 1ms redefined.
The 1.100 or so Oregon Public Employees Union
members at the University are fed up with pay cuts
and unsettled contracts. If the state doesn’t act quickly,
students may lose several critical services.
These union employees aren't the heralded profes
sors or babied administrators the University caters to.
They are the unsung heroes who are responsible for
the every day operation of the University — cooks,
physical plant workers, custodial workers, public safe
ty officers. Oregon Hail workers and other support
staff. Without them, the University could almost reac h
a state of emergency. A 17,000 population mini-city
can't operate by itself.
About 200 people rallied in front of Johnson Hall
Wednesday to warn state officials about the possibility
of a strike. Students, faculty and administrators must
pay attention to rallies like these They need to under
stand the struggles of OPEU members and realize the
impact a strike could have on this University. Any one
who attends, works at or visits the University will be
affected.
Although a strike would ho tragic, it's understand
able why those employees are angry: Union members
worts unable to negotiate a t>,5 percent pay raise with
the state
They aren’t being greedy; they just want compensa
tion for on increase in cost of living. They have suf
It;rod a pay freeze for the past two years and nml to
make up for inflation. Luolla Nelson, a fact finder
hired by the state and the union jointly, found that
state employees were on til loti to a G.5 percent by April
1. However, the state rejected those findings.
Union and state negotiators have been trying to
develop a ( ontrnct since July but negotiations have not
Occurred in weeks, It's time to start talking again.
Governor Kitzhaber and other state officials need to
take these workers off the back burner The state
should make every effort to settle with the union mem
bers in order to avoid a disastrous strike.
If workers are forced to strike at their meeting April
19, the earliest the strike could begin is May 6. The
University would bo preparing for graduation and fall
term registration and could not afford to lose these val
ued workers. Spring is undoubtedly the busiest time
for this campus and it would not be able to handle the
workload if employees step out.
Unless you want to clean the dorm showers or cook
surprise casserole, support the union members and
hope a strike can be avoided.
r
Oregon Daily
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Congress
■ LETTERS
Write in
To all who will listen
Friends, we approach a
cross roads
Siih c the Itegiiunng of time,
student nits lions have present -
ail us with several < andidates
Unfortunately, knowledge of
the candidates is universally
minimal Hence, a winner ■
indistinguishable from the oth
ers will win after only 10
jwn ent of the electorate choos
es to vote The other 00 per
cent. in their absence, send a
clear but unheeded message to
student government "We don't
care who wins and we won't
pretend we do They all suck "
Finally, an alternative to this
expression of apathy arrives.
Instead of not voting, students
are encouraged to send a mes
sage by writing in Drew
Mirante for Student Senate seat
number Hi. A vote for Drew is a
vote for apathy
In the rate Iart ween Tweodle
dee and Tweedle-dumb, we
urge you to vote for Tweedle
dumber.
Mirante is supported in full
by the International Write In
Drew Mirante Alliance
Unlike the other candidates,
Mirante will not make generic,
vague promises to improve this
University. Instead, he offers
the following concrete plat
form. If this Contract with the
University is not fully imple
mented within too days, he
will resign from his position
and pas* the toni) on to some
one even less capable
• Optional fees and optional
tuition. Two ideas whose times
have come.
• The hells atop the KMl!
will perform AC/DC's "Hell’s
Bells" ever)- hour, on the hour.
• The University's motto of
mens agitat molem will be
changed to semper ubi sub ubi
• Destroy the Empire and
support the rebel alliance.
Also, ensure that Captain
lanuway and her crew return
safely to Alpha Quadrant,
• Lap City for the football
team
• Increased exposure for stu
dent streakers.
• The practice of filing
paperwork to declare a major
will be replaced by a barbaric
yawp from atop PIT’.
• In University dining.
nachos at every meal.
Upon Mirante's election, n
\• • r11.i-S> 1«■ (.an of whoop .is-, will
be opened upon government a*
we know it The 90 pertent
whoV" voidi has gone unheard
for too long will finally he
sounded from the rooftops of
the world At the IVVIDMA, we
feel your pain.
Desperate tunes i all for
die,|>erato votes And if you don't
vote for Mirante. someone else
will
Drew Mirante
Geology
Luke Seemann
Leisure Studies
Missed point
Prime Fontana's opinion
pim «* of April 5, opposing the
rally against the “(kmtract with
Amor tea," totally missed the
point Fontana falsely accused
tho protestors of burning books,
yet all that was burned was a
single copy of the “Contract"
symbolizing that they don’t
want to lie bound by a contract
that wasn't written with or for
them Fontana also wrote that
“obscenities blared" from the
loudspeakers, that students
were protesting just to protect
and that there were "rabid
accusations" of CIA involve
ment in South America
In the hour and a half that I
sptm! at tho rally. 1 heard no
more than one or two obsceni
ties and the obvious emotion
and dedication of the speakers
convinced me that they cared
about more than just protesting
As for the CIA in South
America, all I can say is per
haps hopeful reporters like
Fontana should read the news
as well as report it.
Paul Schroder
Environments!
Studies
False image
1 would like to thank the
Emerald staff for allowing the
pro-life supplement to lie added
to the March 10 edition of the
newspaper
One reason I came to this
University was because of the
diverse and accepting image it
presents to the public. After
arriving, I soon discovered that
the image presented is false, that
any conservative views are not
represented fairly, or at all.
Seeing the pro-life supplement
gave me a sense of hope that the
First Amendment is in practice
and taken to heart It pleases me
that it is, for once, nor forgotten
when it comes to views which
the majority of the University
does not agree
The pro-life supplement may
have offended some people, but
it was giving information
concerning pro-life in a non
violent manner (which is rare in
recent times).
Once again, thank you
Democracy is in effect.
Allison Stormo
Journalism Political
Science
Get involved
As a member of OSP1KG, 1
would like to let all University
students know how easy it is to
get involved with this group
Getting involved is easy to do
and the benefits are many Gist
term I returned my general
interest card (you may have
seen these in your lecture class
es) to OSPIRG and then made
an effort to go into the office
Since then. I have not only
become a group member, but 1
am also the leader of the
hunger and homelessness pro
tect group
Owing to the positive
experience I have had with
OSPIRG. I encourage any and all
University students with interests
in such things as activism,
»du<.ation, leadership and simply
making friends and (Tenting ideas
to |oin GSPJRG. To "get
involved," just take the initiative
and iall 346-4377, or come by the
office at Suite 1, EMU
Dorothy Oppenheimer
O SPIRO
Commitment
This letter is in response to
the April 10 article on Chris
kantrowitz and Niki Scott
Although Scott has been
involved in Greeks Against
Rajie. her level of involvement
in women's issues and societal
issues leaves much to be
desired. As a female student
here at the University. 1 know
that I want to be represented in