Daily
rojan
University of Southern California
Vol. LXVI, No. 101
Los Angeles, California
Friday, March 29, 1974
Library workers to vote on unionization April 26
ROCK OUT—Rick Springfield, Australian pop singer and television star, performed for a large crowd in a noon concert on the Student Activities Center patio yesterday. Springfield played songs he'd composed including his gold record nomination "Speak to the Sky", as well as a variety of popular tunes. DT photo by Audrey Chan.
BY LINDA CIRIGLIANO
Staff Writer
An election to determine whether library assistants at Doheny Library and four independent campus libraries will unionize will be held April 26.
On Wednesday, an agreement authorizing the election was signed by the university and Local 30 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union. AFL-CIO-CLC.
If library assistants vote in favor of unionization, Local 30 will represent them for the purpose of collective bargaining.
Library assistants at Doheny first authorized Local 30 to be their official bargaining agent in January. Salary is the main issue in the employees’ desire to unionize.
New academic relations director sees USC as a potential leader
BY ELLEN NORMAN
Staff Writer
USC has the potential to become one of the world’s leading universities. Richard Lewis, the newly appointed director of academic relations, said Thursday.
Lewis' appointment was announced last week by President John R. Hubbard. The new post falls under the Office of Academic- Administration and Research.
“A university can’t be all things to all people.” Lewis said in an interview. * But it can have certain demonstrable strengths and we have them.”
He also said that the university has a large number of strong schools and departments which are rapidly gaining strength, but yet “there is a reputation lag.”
Lewis said he wants to rectify this lag by “propagating a campaign to bring the academic and intellectual reputation of the university into line with the reality of what is going on here.”
Lewis explained that the lag in reputation is more of a national than a regional problem.
“We have a strong regional, grass-roots school,” he said. “But in various parts of the U.S. there is a high degree of ignorance about specific achievements and strengths that we possess.
“In the East. USC is referred to as a division of the University of California or as a public school.” he said.
Lewis said that he would like to set up an information-retrieval system.
“This system would enable us to set up an exhaustive inventory of the things that are happening--aeademic and intellectual-in all portions of the university,” he said.
“In this way we could cooperate with departments in the university and fill the gap where there is a gap.”
The information-retrieval system will operate in three steps, Lew'is said. First, information will be obtained, then stored in order to be easily available. Finally, the information will be disseminated to both the university community and outlying areas.
This, he said, will be done in a variety of methods including the publication of an academic journal.
“The journal will be geared to a preselected target audience,” he said. “This audience will include people who have or may develop an interest in the academic and intellectual life of the university.”
Lewis also said he hopes to distribute articles and information to outside publications on high level research conducted at the university.
He said that, for instance, if an article is published in Scientific American. it w ill reach a broader general audience than if published in an academic journal.
However. Lewis said that he
does not view his job as being a public relations man.
“I do not see myself as a propaganda machine,” he said.
Lewis said that he is currently looking into the possibility of hiring a team of students to cover the university on a beat system to aid in the dissemination of material.
Lewis came to the university in November as an academic coordinator. He previously served on the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, a six-year program aimed at examining the state of American education.
“I feel strongly that in any pro-
Financial Aid Office closes temporarily
The Financial Aid Office has closed temporarily to process freshman financial aid applications and to install a computer system for record storage.
The closure w ill affect most of the third-floor offices in the Student Administrative Services Building. Pamela
Walbom. director of financial aid. said the offices will remain closed for at least two wreeks.
She also said that a staff person is on the first floor of the Student Services building to distribute and receive financial aid applications.
Though all financial aid offices will be closed, the Employment Office and the Law Enforcement Education Program office will remain open
RICHARD LEWIS
fession, practical experience is enormously important,” he said. “That’s why I came to USC.”
A 34-year-old Welshman, Lew is was educated in England. He earned his law degree from Oxford University, and practiced law in England.
He also has a masters degree in education, and is the coowner (along with his brother) of a publishing company.
“USC has the opportunity to become a unique institution.” he said. “And one large step toward the achievement of this will be taken when we stop comparing ourselves negatively with other institutions.”
Library assistants want their salaries equal to those received by employees at UCLA, as well as guaranteed regular salary increases to keep pace with the cost of living, which also is in effect at UCLA.
The university refused to accept the employees’ union authorization and took the case to the regional National Labor Relations Board on March 12.
Gloria Busman, the Local 30 representatives, said that at the hearing the university said it felt an election among Doheny employees only would not be representative of the campus library system.
The university asked that employees from four independent libraries—Medical, law, Hancock and Gerontology—participate in the election along with Doheny employees.
Busman said Local 30 had had no contact with independent library employees before the hearing.
“The testimony at the hearing was conflicting and very inconclusive,” Busman said.
On the final day of the hearing, the university requested that the final decision on who would participate in an election be referred to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington D.C.. which is the highest court on labor matters.
On this note, the hearing adjourned.
Following the hearing, Busman said. “We (Local 30) found there was a likelihood the regional office would decide to hand the case over to Washington.
“We also found out that if the case went to Washington, it would take six months to a year to get a final decision. The library employees w ere very reluctant to wait that long.
“In the meantime, we contacted the employees at the independent libraries. They had the same frustrations and problems as the employees at Doheny.
“To save a long delay, and because we feel we have the support of the independent libraries, we agreed Wednesday to have the National Labor Relations Board conduct an election for the expanded group of employees.
Roy L. Kidman, university librarian. commented on the university’s reaction to the upcoming election.
“The university’s feeling hasn’t changed,” Kidman said. “We feel we have a good mechanism for working together within the university.
“Going outside the university to bargain through a union will cost more in terms of resources. It will also cost the university money.
“The university would like to spend any available money to upgrade salaries. But when unions come in, a great deal of the time and money that could be channeled into salaries has to be used to hire more people.
“I hope employees will decide to vote against unionizing.”
A library assistant said “when we first began talking about unionizing in January, Kidman told us we could settle our salary needs within the university.”
In January. Kidman submitted a proposal to President Hubbard. asking for salary parity with UCLA’s library structure.
“We were promised an answer in February, then told we’d have to wait until March,” the assistant said.
The employee said the library’ assistant’s proposal was turned down by the university on Tuesday.
Zohrab A. Kaprielian, vice-president of academic adminis tration and research, told lib rary assistants the university did not have enough money to consider any part of the proposal.
“The movement to unionize had been strong before that,” the employee said. “When our salary proposal was flatly turned down, it gave the movement a shot in the arm.”
Deadline for council ballots set for April 8
The deadline for returning ballots in the President’s Advisory Council election is April 8. Earlier, it was erroneously reported to the Daily Trojan that the ballots were due April 2.
At least one-third of the ballots in each constituency must be returned for the election in that constituency to be declared valid. The w inning candidates will be appointed to an interim term, and another election will probably be held in September.
Martin Levine, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council, said
the required voter response is necessary’ to insure that the students elected are representative.
“If that many of the students vote, the person elected will feel he really was elected by the students,” he said. “Also, his opinions will be taken more seriously in council matters.”
Levine said it is still too early to tell what kind of response the election will get. but he predicts there will be more students voting in this election than in any other election at the university.
He said the opportunity to participate in university affairs will encourage students to vote.
“For the first time, students have been given membership on an all-university policy-making body,” said Levine. “For the first time, students have been let in the door.”
Ballots may be returned either by mail or in person to the council offices on the second floor of the Tow n and Gow n Foyer.
Students who have not received ballots by April 3 may go to the council offices and vote in person. They must sign affidavits stating they did not receive a ballot.