European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 18, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 5 Philadelphia mass transit workers on strike Philadelphia a City buses trolleys and subways stopped running Here As thousands of mass Tran sit workers went on strike shutting Down Public transportation for 440,000 daily riders in the nation s fifth larges City. About 5,100 operators Cashiers and maintenance work ers whose contract had expired at Midnight Friday walked out sunday after weekend Long negotiations with the Southeastern Pennsylvania transportation authority. The commuter rail system and suburban buses will not be affected. The walkout comes As a reconstruction project has created traffic jams on one of the City s two major highways. The strike will Cost the City $2 million a Day in lost retail sales and higher absenteeism according to the greater Philadelphia chamber of Commerce. Transport workers Union local 234 president Roger Tauss ordered the picket lines after telling 1,000 Union members that Septa Board members refused to approve terms the Union thought had been settled Friday. I had no alternative but to go to the mayor w. Wilson Goode and apologize to him but it was something we had Sanf on benefits Cut off to do Tauss said. I think the strike is justified because Septa negotiated in bad Faith said John Roane 48, a Septa bus Driver for 23 years. They gave us enough to wet our whistles and then they Cut us off. I think it la last a week or maybe even  Septa Board chairman Lewis Gould denied the Board pulled Back saying the authority had improved on the offer made Friday. The strike is unnecessary and unfortunate and very destructive Gould said. We tried As desperately As we could to see that there would be no  the order came As a Surprise. Saturday night John Lawe the Twu International president said Only a few language problems remained and expressed optimism about avoiding a strike. However Tauss told members his Hopes for an agreement disintegrated when he Learned the Board rejected terms reached Friday. He said the pension package Septa offered sunday afternoon failed to come close to Union demands. He also said the authority refused to Compromise on demands for Hormel strikers to sue Parent Union Austin Minn. A a Union local on strike for seven months against the Hormel packing company has voted to file suit against its Parent Union which has withdrawn its Sanction of the walkout and Cut off strike benefits a local official said sunday. We re planning a suit based on their reparable harm the International has done to the Union said Pete Winkels business agent for local p-9 of the United food and commercial workers Union. They have maliciously Hurt the strike. The International Union is undermining the bargaining with the Hormel company with everything they be been  the plan to file suit was developed in weekend meetings of p-9 s executive Board and endorsed by voice vote during a meet ing of about 800 rank and file members sunday Winkels said. A few International president William Wynn said Friday that the International was withdrawing its Sanction of the walkout against Geo. A. Hormel & co., and cutting off the $40-a-week benefits it has been pay ing strikers. About 1,500 p-9 members walked out aug. 17 in a dispute Over wages and Bene fits. About 500 have crossed their own picket line to return to work when the Plant reopened Jan. 13, company officials say. Hormel vice president Chuck Nyberg said Union membership in percent of . Nonagricultural workers 35% 30 25 20 15 1950 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 percent of All employed workers including members of employee associations Chicago Tribune graphic source . Department of labor Bureau of labor statistics that there were no plans to hire More workers and that Hormel can not guarantee jobs to p-9 members still on strike. Winkels said the lawsuit would be filed in the very immediate future in Federal court in Washington and would also seek an accounting of funds sent to the a few re Gion 13 office in Bloomington Minn., for the Benefit of local p-9. We be had numerous Calls from local unions across the country that said they have sent us Money but they Haven t had their checks acknowledged or cashed Winkels said. Al Zack director of publications for the a few International said from his suburban Washington Home sunday that Region 13 financial information is open at any time for the local to examine and for any contributor to  since i have not seen their suit it is difficult to comment on it he said. But i can t see that there is any basis of fact. It is just another tactic that Ray Rogers p-9 s strike strategist has designed for publicity. Instead of looking for publicity they should be looking for ways to end the Dis Pute Zack said. He said the walkout would become a Wildcat strike if it continues and that p-9 leaders could face fines or disciplinary action. Use of part timers and that it refused to Compromise on a discipline policy the Union has branded As harassment. Septa has pleaded with the Union for concessions on layoffs and part timers because of an expected Cut of $32 million in government subsidies. On Friday Septa proposed a pay increase of $1.02 an hour Over three years plus improvements in pension health care and sick benefits and life insurance. The work ers average $11.50 an hour in wages. Tauss said the proposal was close to the Union s economic demands but far Short of what the Twu wanted on other issues involving Layoff Protection and the hiring of part timers. The Twu had proposed contract changes it said would Cost $51 million. Septa said its proposal was Worth $25 million. The City has had eight transit strikes since 1961. The last major walkout in 1981, lasted 19 Days. The City has prepared for the strike by setting aside vacant lots As parking areas and installing a hot line for information. The chamber of Commerce has urged companies to set staggered work hours. 6,000 artworks of third Reich sent to Germany Pueblo Colo. Up hundreds of pieces of artwork commissioned by Adolf Hitler arc returning to Germany after four decades in the United states but nazi Leader portraits will remain in an army warehouse. After world War ii americans claimed an Art collection of 8,700 pieces. Hitler had commissioned 80 German artists to paint a glorious militaristic image of Germany including its leaders fighting machines sol Diers and citizens. The United states has agreed to return some 6,000 of those paintings to West Ger Many although it will keep the Art depict ing nazism according to the army s Art curator Marylou Gjernes. That includes portraits of any War Leader or criminal including Hitler. For the past 14 years 252 pieces of the confiscated Art have been stored at the Pueblo army depot. Most of the remainder has been kept in warehouses in the Washington . Area. Among the pieces at Pueblo Are a 5-by-8 foot portrait of Hitler and similar paintings of Heinrich Himmler and Rudolph Hess. Those will remain in the warehouse which has been displaying some of the paintings for the Public before they Are returned. More kids passing class playing sports Atter year of City s no pass no play Rule Springfield mass. A a year after this City s High school teams were devastated by a no pass no play Rule More students Are playing sports and passing classes than Ever before. The kids got the message and found out what they could do said Ray Dipasquale vice chairman of the City school committee which is lobbying for stricter academic standards statewide. The Rule was enacted during the 1984-85 school year and forced 258 students off teams before it was relaxed and 154 Stu dents were reinstated in february 1985. It had required a a in All major subjects but now requires a a minus average and no failures. Before the relation student government organizations were unable to make a quo rum nearly half the cheerleaders had to turn in their pompous and one High school even lost three of the five members of its chess team. But this Winter no athletes were disqualified by the Rule at three of the City s four High schools. Eleven athletes at the fourth High school were benched by the Rule. But even at that school participation was up 18 percent Over last year with 381 students coming out for teams according to a school District report. Thomas Mcnulty director of athletics for the City s 5,000 High school students said students whether herded into summer school classes by coaches or pressured by their teammates Are More willing to try remedial programs. Everyone s working harder teachers students coaches and it s been a real boost to morale Mcnulty said. The results please the National association for the advancement of coloured peo ple which lobbied for the eligibility rules said Ida Flynn president of the local Chap Ter. Springfield schools have a 55 percent minority enrolment. What really has happened from what parents Tell me is that Many students who were not doing anything in the classroom realized they had to Start participating and once they did that they found the could do what it takes Flynn said. I d like to see what we have done in Springfield become a Model for new eng land said mayor Richard e. Neal who also serves As chairman of the school com Mittee. Dipasquale will appear before a special committee of the Massachusetts association of school committees in Auburn on thursday to seek support for a Resolution urging All of the state s school districts to tighten academic eligibility standards. The City failed last year to persuade the Massachusetts  athletic league to tighten its standards. Students with More than four is in courses Are ineligible under Mial rules. Dipasquale said school boards in Brock ton Swansea Boston and other communities had expressed interest in the rules. Flynn said the a act was urging Massachusetts chapters to press for similar rules. It s not that we Are against sports. I love athletics said Dipasquale who started a private fund raising Campaign to restore some sports eliminated by budget cuts we re just not doing any kid a favor by letting him through with is he said. And we re certainly not denying any kid the Opportunity to go to College on a sports scholarship because with a d average he s not going to  in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. March 18, 1946 . And British food reserves were sharply reduced when France refused to Supply any food for Vienna and Russia produced Only a fraction of the contracted amount government sources in Vienna said. 30 years ago today. March 18, 1956 Irene Joliet Curie 58, daughter of the discoverers of Radium died in Paris of acute leukaemia. Joliet Curie won the 1934 Nobel prize for Chemis try and was known for her discovery of the Neutron. 20 years ago today. March 18, 1966 gemini 8 Astro nauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott were forced to end their Mission abruptly after completing history s first linkup of two spacecraft Nasa officials said. 10 years ago today. March 18, 1976 the new York times identified or. Mario e. Jas Calevich As the or. A who was involved in an investigation into the mysterious deaths possibly from curare poisoning of 13 Hospital patients in Hackensack n.j., in1966