Teachers, Board Settle Two-Year 20% Contract
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Section rosse Pointe ews A " ~-------------,------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- 'Illlll.h,d 01 SlCo"d Cloll Mo"" 01 the 30c Per Copy 40 Pages-Three Sections VOL. 42-NO. 37 POlt Office ot Dtlrolt, Mlchl.on GROSSE POINTE, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1981 $13 p" Y,at Teachers, Board settle two-year 20% contract By Joanne Gouleehe negotiators termed the talks as a regional strike if fired teachers "cordial and cooperative," and there were replaced with substitutes. More than 8,000 Grosse Pointe were indications that both sides students made their way back wanted a working agreement before Two years ago, union negotiators September. ' walked away from the bargaining to the classroom yesterday after table with a 9 percent pay hike each teachers tentatively agreed to a I'" '" fTr.lrl:;T """"tht"ro r.,.,.h"rJ vp~" for it~ mpmbers, The contract new two-year contract Labor tentative ag~eement o~'th~ ~p~~'i~g was approved only hours before Day weekend. day for students and the back to teachers were set to go on strike. work day for teachers, but remained ~ow that teacher talks have end- It marks the first time in 10 far apart on issues of salary, fringe years that te{lchers have ended benefits and classroom size. ed, the school board is expected to set the sooool mill rate at its Sept. negotia tions before the opening At a Local 1 press conference Aug. 14 meeting. Administrators say day of school. The last time was 18 union president Lange made firm they will recommend a roll back of in 1971. the bargaining unit's commitment to the current 34,05 mill rate "We're happy to have a contract before schools starts," said school board negotiator Ronald Tonks Tues. day, Deadline next Monday Teacher union president Curt Lange said agreement came after a marathon bargaining session Sunday, Sept. 6, Agreement was reached at for Woods election 4 a.m, Monday morning. By Gregory Jakub ~tunro said he's lived in the Pointes The new ,pact calls for 20 percent for 55 years and has experience in pay increases over the next two With the Monday, Sept. 14 business and personnel management years, modification of the school cal. deadline rapidly approaching, and planning, and labor relations. endar and improvements in health They'll color the skies insurance and other fringe benefits. only one candidate has filed to oppose Grosse Pointe Woods MUNRO CLAIMS no affiliation with by the Detroit Free PreIS, Chuck Muer Restaurants The contract language 'also sets pro. The Szerlag family of Grosse Pointe Woods a1mII Mayor George Freeman, who is any special interests ant "that's what to do Just that when the third annual Detroit Klle and the 5/20 Kite Group. Spectators wlU be treated to visions for layoffs and removing makes me an exceUent candidate," Kaleidoscope kicks off at the Detroit Free Press River. four hours of demonstrations with World War II, ex. material from personnel mes, seeking a second two-year term he said, He added that his background in the Nov. 4 general election. front Plant Saturday, Sept. 19. Flight testing their perlmental and stunt kites. Prues will be awarded. "WE CONSIDER U to be an equi. offers voters the chance to ele<:t kites are (left to right) Tracey, Hank, Nancy and Ward Entry forms may be picked up at all Chuck Muer someone with new ideas which he table contract," Lange said. "We 'Three Woods coun0:1 seats are also Szerlag. The free event begins with registration at Doon. Restaurants, the Free Press or at the slle the day of achieved many of our goals." said he would contl'ibute if elected. Contests begin at 1. p.m. and run through 4 and an the event. In case of rain it w!ll be held Sunday, available and four eandidates have He also had no criticism of the pres. open fly is scheduled until 6, The event is sponsored Sept. 20. Lange said while union negoti'ators filed nominating petitions including ent administration and said if voters came away from the bargaining table incumbent Councilman Thomas Fahr- are satisfied they should re.elect the with some issues unresolved, "teach- ner, Councilman John Sabol has incumbents. ers felt It was very important to petitions out and said he intends to • settle before school starts!' file, Contrary to Munro, candidate Muc- ciante sa,jd the present council lacks Lange said a grievance is pending Radio 'hams' meet off the azr However, Councilman Daniel Grady new ideas, adequate financial man. on one unnegotiable issue, personal said he will not seek re-eiection citing agement abilities, and generally can. leave time. time problems with his job as a per- man. He also worked on transformers not !randle complicated matters. His By Peggy O'Connor in following the exploits of an sonnel vice.president at Michigan adventurous young man. for a Japanese power company. The 20 percent pay pact will mean experience as a legislative aide has Yoshi Aki Ide, of Tokyo, Japan, a 5 percent increase for teachers Bell. taught him to cut through govern- In June, Aki arrived in San Fran- each year in addition to COLA (Cost mental red tape, Mucciante said. and Ellis Merry, of Lothrop In 1979, Aki and another Japanese GRADY SAID he thinks the present Road, met on the air. No, not in went to a smaLl island 1,000 miles off cisco 'armed with his lightweight. 15. of Living Allowances) capped at 5 city administration has kept ~he Mayor George Freeman cites his the air, on it-Aki, as he IS the Japanese coast where they set up speed bike, some camping gear and a percent. Woods among the best cities in the nine-year stint as councilman and a temporary expedition-type radio list of names, addresses and radio call known, and Merry are ham ra- Lange sa,ld it is difficult to say now area in terms of low taxes, and qual- two years as mayor as the quality station. The location counted as an- numbers of his ham radio friends. dio operators. Through the radio After a few days in San Francisco, how his membership will receive the ity of services and facilities. He also that should attract voters. waves, Aki fourid ,- the i;luge, other l:ountry for purposes of 'ama- new contract, "but I expect it to be said he would support Mayor Free- teur radio. Many American radio . he loaded up,the bike and set forth world outside crowded, urban ralified." man over his only challenger so far- In response to those who criticize amateurs were interested in making on another adventure-biking across Tokyo and Merry found pleasure Tim Mucciante, his administration, Freeman points contact with ,the then 21-year-old Aid, the United States. The'school board and the union's to the dty's consistently low tax rates " ., including Ellis Merry. 500 members are expected to vote on And from California to Michigan Mucciante, a 22-year-old student and high quality city services as proof the new pact later this month or starting law school this fall, has filed and aU the states in between, Aki says early October. The Michigan Educa- of his administration's success. Merry sent a card to Japan con. it's been quite an experience. nominating petitions for both council Hearing, on firming his contact with Aki and Aki tion's umbrella union Local 1 ap- and mayor seats and said he will run Freeman said he's not expecting proved the contract Sunday. responded by inviting Merry to visit "In Idaho, I missed a road and for ma~'or if Freeman goes unop- another opponent to surface because him in Tokyo, Merry did, in Novem- drove into the desert, I didn't see During earlier bargaining talks, posed. l\Iucciante ran unsuccessfully "apparently the majority of the peo- Fox Creek ber of 1979, and the two radio friends what I had done until I looked around negotiators for both sides said they for council in 1979,. ple think I'm doing a bood job." had a great time sightseeing. Merry were optimistic about a settlement and saw nothing but the flat desert THOSE WHO are dissatisfied with came home with two watercolor paint. before the new school year, When Another challenger who has filed horizon . It took me ~two hours to Freeman's performance are having • ings given to him by Aki's mother; get back," Akl laughs. talks resumed in early August, union for council is Jean Rice of the Beauti- cancelled Aki was left behind with Merry's In. f,ication Commission. Rice has also trouble finding a candidate to oppose IS vitation to visit and a plan formulat. "Don't forget to tell about the time been instrumental in developing and him. Both the Woods Boat Club and ing in his head on how .fo get enough you cut a tire on a stone on a Satur- implementing many of the Woods' Hollywood Subdivision Improvement By Susan McDonald money to do it. day and had to push the bike 10 tree maintenance programs, She is Association have clashed with the city over special issues during the last miles to a K Mart," Merry adds. Inside the mother of two Michigan State Wayne County officials post- MOST OF Aki's time sinee 1979 has graduates and her husband Laddy, is year. The boaters have been waging poned indefinitely a public hear- been spent at the University of To- AND THEN there was the time in Cable TV, local ."""""" ,4A an engineering manager for Chrysler an eight-year effort to improve dock- ing on a multi-million dollar im- kyo studing sociology and media and IIlinds when -a "very taU boy of about Classified .,.