European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 9, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes saturday May 9,1987 pm reports layoffs of 57,000 workers 33,000 indefinitely Detroit up More than 57,000 . General motors corp. Worker will be on Layoff next week including 33,000 indefinitely the no. 1 automaker announced thursday. A company spokesman said the 33,000 hourly employee on indefinite Layoff arc being carried Over from last week s total. The other layoffs which Are temporary and bring the total number to 57,300, Are 6.100 at Buick Oldsmobile Cadillac Assem Bly Plant in Wentzville mo., May 11-18, for inventory adjustment. 4,700 at Buick Oldsmobile Cadillac Assem Bly Plant in Flint mich., May 11-18, for inventory adjustment. 3.500 at Chevrolet Pontiac pm of Canada Assembly Plant in North Terrytown n.y., May 11-18, for inventory adjustment. 2,400 at Chevrolet Pontac pm of Canada Assembly Plant in Arlington tews May ii Cpl. 14, for Model changeover. 5,500 at Chevrolet Pontiac pm of Canada Assembly Plant in Fairfax kan., May 1i-oct. 19, for Model changeover. Another 2,100 workers at the Chevrolet Pon Lac pm of Canada Assembly Plant in Lake Wood cm., tre kill on temporary Layoff since dec. 23 for Model changeover. Pm said those workers should return May 18, civilian unemployment rate Falls to decade Low 6.3% Washington a the nation s civilian Job less rate hit a decade Low 6.3 percent last month As tens of thousands of jobs were created in construction retail Trade business and health services the govern ment said Friday. The 0.3 percentage Point improvement Over March s rate Cut the number of jobless americans to 7.5 million the lowest since april 1980. The april 1987 unemployment Rale matches the 6.3 percent rate for the first three months of 1980. Not since december 1979, when unemployment was 6.0, has the rate been lower. The Rale has been falling Stead ily since september when it stood at 7,0 percent. The labor department s monthly household Survey showed 467,000 More americans at work in april than in March with total civilian employment at a record 111,83s,000. A separate Survey of business and government payrolls showed an employment gain of 315,000. Private analysts noting recent trends had predicted monthly Job growth of just Over 200,000. Commissioner of labor statistics Janet l. Norwood said the restructuring away Tram an Industrial econ omy to a service based one has eroded the historical pattern of higher unemployment among women. The adult male unemployment rate is still very much affected by the relative weakness of mining and of several key manufacturing industries she told the congressional joint economic committee Friday women on the older hand have traditionally been More concentrated in some of the fast growing service industries. Dow the primary source of increased  service ind Ulrici produced 273,000 of the 315,000 new jobs recorded last month on business payrolls. Of that employment in mail Trade capitalizing on the late easter jumped by 65,000. In business and health services employment grew by about 50,000. Banks and other financial institutions reported an increase of 20,000 workers while real is talc and insurance businesses said hey hired 15,000 additional employees. Apart from the service sector construction employ Highway cons Duclion Billt Highway contracts went up 10 percent in March in anticipation of passage said Michael Evans who runs an economic consulting firm in Washington. They d been backlogged since last fall. That s going to mean a lot of new construction  manufacturing employment Rose by Only 4,000. Small gains spread Over a wide variety of industries were virtually offset by a 15,000-Job drop in the Auto Mobile Industry. Many of those workers had been Laid off but Are now Back on the Job Norwood said. Speaking of the gains throughout the Economy the said Hie fastest growth Over the year continued to take place in the relatively Well paid precision production Craft and repair occupations and in the Manageri Al and professional special to  but not everyone has benefited she said. After 53 months of expansion. There still Are More than a million persons with very Long duration unemployment and another 5.4 million working part time when they want full Lime  an alternate unemployment rate combining the 1.7 million members of the armed forces stationed in the United Stales with the 119.3 million people in the civilian labor Force also fell 0.3 of a percentage Point to 6.2 percent. White House says Sony wrong number9 Washington a White House spokesman Martin filzmaier turned the tables on cartoonist Garry Trudeau after the White House Telephone number appeared in the comic strip Down Asbury with a Cap Tion urging Young people to Call for information on Safe sex. Filzmaier told reporters thursday that White House operators have had some Calls result of the strip and i be been giving them an alternate  the number was 212-382-0650, the number of the new York office of uni Versal press the Syndicate that distributes the comic strip. Reporters Calls to thai number were referred to the Syndicate s Kansas City office where Barbara Thompson Secre tary to doonesbury editor Lee Salem said the Syndicate had no objection to ill number being Given out. A reporter who tried calling the White House switchboard however was referred not to the Universal press number but to the number of the executive of fice of the president which referred him 10 the press office. When another reporter called the White House switchboard and asked for of Ichok to a Job by inf hk45, a tues hat 50, Safe Sei information the operator Hung up on him. When he called the executive office of the president he was told apparently that is supposed lob funny. This has nothing to do with anything except a strange sense of  the press office would not say How Many Calls were received. The cartoon featured a character who looked like president Reagan saying kids need Rock solid  on Safe sex Call Hij Srb of on your screen the number is the general number of the White House 202-456-1414. Which is also listed in the government Section of the District of Columbia Telephone directory. Reagan has urged Young people to abstain from premarital sex As the Best Way to avoid the danger if aids but has also said he believes information on other preventive measures should be provided. Fitzmaier asked Why the number appeared in the comic strip said i Don t know Why. Mischief i  major women s groups support family leave Bill Washington not thirty two women s organizations rallied thursday behind legislation that would require employers to Grant up to 18 weeks of unpaid leave to workers to Lake care of Newborn or seriously ill children. The family leave proposal introduced in february by rep Patricia Schroeder d-colo., and sen. Christo Pher j. Dodd d-conn., has Broad support in both houses arid would apply equally to men and women who arc employed the Bill which May reach the House floor this sum Mer and the Senate floor by the end of the year would require employers to Grant employees up to 18 weeks of unpaid leave upon the birth or adoption of a child or the serious illness of a child or dependent Parent. The House Bill would require up to 26 weeks of unpaid disability leave to any employee unable to work As a result of ill Ness. The proposal has comi under Strong criticism from business groups. The United states chamber of com Merce has said the costs would be prohibitive for employers. It has warned that such legislation might Lead to discrimination against hiring women who would be most Likely to use the unpaid leave to care for their families. The 32 women s groups that joined to support the Bill thursday Are conducting a wite in Campaign urging people to Send Mother s Day cards to their representatives in Congress asking them to Back the legis lation. In a news conference leaders of major women s groups criticized a recent chamber of Commerce Esti mate that provisions of the Bill would Cost american business $16 billion a year and said thai instead the Bill will Benefit both american workers and Ameri can  the chamber of Commerce which has been the major voice in opposition to the legislation subsequently reduced its estimate to $2.6 billion a preliminary report by the general a counting office indicates that the reduced figure May also be too High. One of the most important benefits of the Bill is the Job Protection in provides said Sarah harder presi Dent of the american association of University women. Employers too often Force employees to choose Between caring for a child and their Job. Eleanor Simcal president of the National Organiza Tion for women said thirty two million workers do not have a temporary disability  Irene Natividad Leader of the National women s political caucus contends. The Cost of replacing and retraining employees pales beside the Cost of providing Iceni Horary leave. She also rejected the argument Llinat the Bill would Lead to discrimination against hiring women who Are More Likely than men to Lake advantage of the Bill s provisions. In is not possible to fill the work Force without women she said. Since the Bill also protects he right of fathers to Lake paternity leave we will flip and do in far father s Day too said Smeal