European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 18, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7 Law membership to consider Gmys tentative contract Detroit apr the United Auto workers monday announced a tentative agreement with general motors corp. On a new contract covering 300,000 . Workers. A i am pleased to announce to our members and to you that we have reached a tentative contract agreement Here at general motors a Law president Owen Bieber said after an All Day bargaining session with the nations no. 1 automaker. Bieber said details of the agreement would be withheld until they could be presented to the Union membership. A meeting was scheduled for later monday. The a awl a three year contract with pm had expired at Midnight Friday but both sides agreed to extend the terms of the 1987 agreement on a Day by Day basis while negotiations continued. Law contracts with Ford motor co. And Chrysler corp. Ran out at the same time but the Union put negotiations with those companies on hold pending the outcome of its talks with pm. The Extension of the pm Law contract was the first such move since bargaining Between the Union and the automaker began in 1937. The Union agreed to a 59-hour Extension of its contract with Ford during the 1987 talks. Days before the settlement was announced 300 members of the pm bargaining Council were called to a briefing monday in a Detroit suburb. The group is made up of local presidents and bargaining committee chairmen. Announcement of that meeting gave Rise to speculation that an agreement was More Likely than a strike. About 300,000 Active pm workers Are covered by the Law pm contract. The last time the Law struck pm was in 1984. That strike lasted a week and by the time it was Over it involved about 25 pm facilities nationwide. National contract talks this year have focused on Job Security income Protection and pension issues. In All More than 450,000 Active big three workers Are covered by Law negotiated contracts. Its the first time in 11 years that Law contracts with each of the big three have had common expiration dates. The Law intends to negotiate with Ford and Chrysler based on terms of the agreement reached with pm in a tradition called a pattern  Ford Isnit expected to have trouble agreeing to a Law pm contract. But the Story is different for Chrysler. Anthony St. John Chrysler labor vice president has said simply extending the contract that just expired would boost labor costs by 16 percent a an amount Chrysler  afford. The average hourly wage with Cost of living adjustments for pm workers is about $15.75 under the 1987 agreement. Fringe benefits particularly health care costs boost that to nearly $30 per hour the company has said. At Ford the figure is about $31 per hour and Chrysler a was just More than $33. The big three said they Are at a Cost disadvantage to japanese companies that build cars and trucks in the United states because of their health care Bills. There Are far fewer retirees who typically make More claims against health insurance policies among the so called japanese a a transplants than there Are for the big  wagging a first dogs Millie and Ranger Rush to their return from Camp David to the Greet president and mrs. Bush on White House  at loggerheads Over spotted owl Washington apr environmentalists and loggers Are conducting rival lobbying campaigns on Capitol Hill this week in a High stakes political Battle Over the Northwest a oldest forests and the Northern spotted owl. The two sides scheduled meetings with members of Congress As two House panels prepared to move Forward with legislation addressing Forest Protection and Timber Harvest Levels. About 500 environmentalists rallied at the Capitol on sunday to protest a series of Bills they say would further reduce the shrinking Supply of the nations old growth forests. A the Timber Industry lobby has a National Agenda As they grab the wealth of Public lands operating from a National Power base in Congress a said Mark Winstein of save americans forests a grass roots organization that sponsored the demonstration. The groups leaders criticized mainstream environmental groups such As the Sierra club and the National wildlife federation for failing to take Strong enough stands in political fights Over the Northwest sold growth Trees and the Northern spotted owl. A they have a lot of muscle. We Are asking them to flex it a Winstein said. Loggers and Industry officials from the Pacific Northwest scheduled their own rally to voice opposition to pro environmental legislation that would restrict logging and lock up huge tracts of old growth forests to help save the Northern spotted owl from extinction. Jackie Lang state coordinator of the Oregon lands coalition said about 200 Industry workers and Community leaders made the trip to help a put faces on the unemployment figures used when discussing the Cost of Banning logging in Northwest forests. Save americans forests advocates an end to logging All old growth forests As Well As a ban on Clear cutting and Road construction in National forests. It also wants to include private lands in a new Federal prohibition on exports of unprocessed logs from most Public lands. Andy Mahler president of Indiana a protect our Woods said National environmental groups must do More to educate the Public about logging on . Forest service lands. A the National groups Are doing an inadequate Job not Only of representing their members but also the environmental and ecological interests of this nation As a whole a Mahler said drawing some of the loudest applause of sundays rally. Humorists mine persian Gulf crisis for laughs new York apr a a human shield take my Mullah in Law.  bar Rump bump from the top 10 lists of a late night to the political humor of will Durst and Harry Shearer humorists Are finding comedy in the Gulf crisis. On aug. 2, Iraq invaded Kuwait and erased its Kuwait Bank visa cards $10 billion Tab. That same night a late night with David Letterman offered a Saddam Hussein Stop 10 reasons for invading  reason no. 6 a to impress Jodie Foster a no. 3 a did no to have enough fuel and supplies to invade the Moon a and no. 1. Drum Roll. A because the Sand is always Rainier on the other Side of the  nobody said its easy being a Jester in the court of Public opinion. A a it a hard coming up with the lighter Side of armageddon a said will Durst a comic who specializes in politics. Saddam is funny the invasion Wasny to. A when he invaded it was Tough. I turned it on him and made him the focus a you know Saddam is a bad Guy because Switzerland is angry at him.�?T. A i Call Saddam Hussein a Yuppie. His motives Are something we can All understand greed. I mean this is a corporate Raider with  Durst gets serious too a a it a obvious that America would rather sacrifice its boys than  Saddam he said a is the symptom not the problem. Taking out Hussein would be like Whiting out a tumor on an  political impressionist Jim Morris made his name portraying Ronald Reagan As an amiable dimwit. His focus these Days is George Bush and his handling of the persian Gulf crisis. Morris says its a sensitive topic and he a very careful. A i am a lot Kinder to the president in this situation than i am when he wants to Cut funding for school lunch programs a Morris said. Then in the voice he Calls a a Cross Between Liberace Jack Nicholson and mister Rogers a Morris drawls a i done to Haft defend the Way i been handling the crisis. My doors always open. Pm never there but my doors always  a some top comedians Arentt doing the Gulf crisis. Richard Belzer for example said he a too worried about the situation to find it funny. Harry Shearer a comedian and writer and the Star and co author of the pseudo-documentai7 a this is spinal tap a uses the Gulf crisis in his weekly National Public radio program. Saddam a appearing on to with hostages prompted Shearer to imagine him Sawyer about Western Media and getting Robin Leach to gush breathlessly Over his lifestyle and a pleasure palaces that rival the pashas of  Shearer acknowledges that Gulf crisis humor risks offending people when a Good joke is suddenly made tasteless by events but he a also quite careful about his timing. A i think it does no to Start to get risky really until body bags Start coming